What have you learnt today?

[JohannBessler]

The crisis is not only European or is it?
I had the idea it was more of a global thing... you know... subprimes... China's yuan...
Eventually I suppose EU will have benefited some countries or (economic) classes of people, and failed others and that opinions about it will differ depending on where one belongs...

It's only 55years old, there IS room for improvement, when it's inhabitants realize the need for thinking globally first, locally second... or at least doesn't make them opponents...

The thing is, Nishin, the countries that have experienced the worst pain cannot easily dig themselves out of the troubles.

Let's take Greece and Spain, for instance. Under the old system, the value of the drachma and peseta (sp?) could drop. This would enable Greek and Spanish exports to become cheap again, which would boost their industries, and so on.

As it stands today, the Euro works like a noose around their necks. Greece and Spain face long, grueling recoveries.

Heaven knows, I hope that I am wrong about this.

[Nishin]

The crisis is the systemic crisis of an expansive period, and it is not "only European", since it is a global system, but it IS European-based, therefore being a global crisis as being built on the Western world, which is European-based (the "new Europe" is the USA, by that meaning not that the USA is Europe, but that that nation takes it where Europe left it before being embalmed). China, Russia or that part of the Islamic world that we know is thriving under the impulse giving by the Western world and, like the Weestern world itself without the political and economical structures that support it, will fall back to the previous "natural" backward state, with no democracy and no capitalism... and no civil liberties arising from sophisticated, cosmopolitan urban societies.

This is an interesting point of view... but I guess we'll just have to wait and see, civilisations come and go, so why not have them go in style with nice silk wrappings and rose scented embalming...

During the past millennium there has been a movement of social and economical expansion based on capitalism and democracy, but even the sloppiest analysis will show that it is being used to be reverted to the previous state of oligarchy... that is more "naturally" (for those who are fond of the "natural" and "more universal" state of things) found outside the Western world in the past five to ten centuries.

The EU is not 55 years old: it is as old as Europe itself. You are taking the trademark and the managing system for the actual product.

Well Human is a social animal... that comes with hierarchy, UE or not... let's enjoy the benefits of social and economical expansions, or even try and advance them while we can?

[Nishin]

The thing is, Nishin, the countries that have experienced the worst pain cannot easily dig themselves out of the troubles.

Let's take Greece and Spain, for instance. Under the old system, the value of the drachma and peseta (sp?) could drop. This would enable Greek and Spanish exports to become cheap again, which would boost their industries, and so on.

As it stands today, the Euro works like a noose around their necks. Greece and Spain face long, grueling recoveries.

Heaven knows, I hope that I am wrong about this.

You're talking about technical details of the current system while I'm envisioning a larger picture...
China devaluates its money for cheap exports, USA prints more and more dollars whose value is indexed on ... stardust or something...
Certainly all US states are not equal in wealth and the poorest states are supported by the richest state's wealth?
When the EU can do that and reduce its dependence (energy wise) from volatile markets it will have reached its goal and upgraded its inhabitants prospects for better lives.

[refujiunderground]

that the system is fucked up.

[JayHawk]

I learned-ed today that cranberries taste wonderful with the right sweetening....

[refujiunderground]

also that the war on drugs like the war on poverty in america, basically every war that america has fought domestically has been a FAILURE.

[JayHawk]

Nope we fought a war on polio and won.... and Al gore invented the internets and that has helped defeat illiteracy.... RIF baby RIF....

[refujiunderground]

Nope we fought a war on polio and won.... and Al gore invented the internets and that has helped defeat illiteracy.... RIF baby RIF....

al gore didn't invent the internet. yeah, we won the war against polio but nobody cares about polio. it's about that hiv now. you think they'll ever put out the cure to hiv/aids in our lifetimes?

[JohannBessler]

RJ, that rumor started with a misstatement on the part of Al Gore.

He didn't invent the Internet, per se; the military created it in the 1960s through a top-secret framework called ARPANET, if I recall correctly.

But Al Gore did indeed speak, before anyone else, about the need to develop the Information Superhighway. Before he spoke, no other public figure had paid much attention to it. Looking back at it, he made his spiel at just the right time. Shortly thereafter (1994 or so) the Internet spread like a wildfire, becoming the phenomenon that we all know and love today.

[refujiunderground]

RJ, that rumor started with a misstatement on the part of Al Gore.

He didn't invent the Internet, per se; the military created it in the 1960s through a top-secret framework called ARPANET, if I recall correctly.

But Al Gore did indeed speak, before anyone else, about the need to develop the Information Superhighway. Before he spoke, no other public figure had paid much attention to it. Looking back at it, he made his spiel at just the right time. Shortly thereafter (1994 or so) the Internet spread like a wildfire, becoming the phenomenon that we all know and love today.

well, al gore inventing the internet itself sounds too good to be true. he doesn't seem that smart. poor al gore.

didn't know the internet was around that long. so this technology like wifi and all probably has been aroundsince the 60s. that's scary.

[JayHawk]

I learned nothing from the folks I Jub with so far today..... lol

[PreTTy PeTe]

^ ^I learnt right now that Jethro is alive and well and living on JUB.

[JayHawk]

how you mean?

[cgymike]

I realised today that the guy I have been seeing has turkey skin hands

[JayHawk]

Custard can taste just like Pumkin Pie!!!

Pumpkin Pie Twister...
Vanilla custard blended with a slice of pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream and dash of cinnamon..

I also learned I am fat kid inside....

[purina]

No wonder you did not answer: I had forgot to post..: was that a metaphor?

No, a literal observation. I made note of it so I'll remember not to add much sugar next time. I had probably learnt it before but forgotten, as with so many other things.

l can't think what it could be a metaphor for.

[belamo]

The thing is, Nishin, the countries that have experienced the worst pain cannot easily dig themselves out of the troubles.

Let's take Greece and Spain, for instance. Under the old system, the value of the drachma and peseta (sp?) could drop. This would enable Greek and Spanish exports to become cheap again, which would boost their industries, and so on.

As it stands today, the Euro works like a noose around their necks. Greece and Spain face long, grueling recoveries.

Heaven knows, I hope that I am wrong about this.

You're talking about technical details of the current system while I'm envisioning a larger picture...
China devaluates its money for cheap exports, USA prints more and more dollars whose value is indexed on ... stardust or something...
Certainly all US states are not equal in wealth and the poorest states are supported by the richest state's wealth?
When the EU can do that and reduce its dependence (energy wise) from volatile markets it will have reached its goal and upgraded its inhabitants prospects for better lives.

The euro is a Frankenstein monster, and the American sham capitalist system is the Wiz of Oz.

[refujiunderground]

no matter how long you've been driving for or how much of a good driver you are. always stay alert on the road and pay attention to stop signs, yielding signs, stoplights and etc. it can save your life.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...icle-1.1204048

this just creeps me out because over the summertime, i almost got into a car accident when i ran a stop sign coming from the bank. i didn't see the stop sign and a car from the next street that had the right away almost knock my lights out. it would have been a head on impact to because the guy was speeding and i was driving extra slow. luckily, the guy stopped while i was passing through, he didn't beep me or anything. the police wasn't there either. i already have 4 points on my license for speeding on route 1 this year. don't need my license spended, worked way too hard to get it in the first place.

but yeah, a lot of people get caught slipping on the wheel around here especially with the yield signs. yield is another word for STOP for incoming traffic until it's clear. don't know why people ignore yield signs over here.

[refujiunderground]

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...icle-1.1203338

AMERICAN CHOPPER IS CANCELLED!!! YES!! about fucking time. i blame that show for ruining the discovery channel.

[star-warrior]

Canned cherries are ok to cook with.

[JayHawk]

I learned that talking with some folks is useless....

Ok i didn't just learn that but it bears repeating.

[CupidBoy]

The more you push the more they pull away.

- CupidBoy

[refujiunderground]

i learned that wearing a hoodie in the gym with a thick shirt underneath is never a good idea.

[mitchymo]

I learnt how to fix my sidebar gadgets.

[belamo]

I learnt how to fix my sidebar gadgets.

You mean get rid of your love handles?

[Harke the Boeotarch]

i learned that wearing a hoodie in the gym with a thick shirt underneath is never a good idea.

Hoodies are never really a good idea, Trayvon.

[refujiunderground]

Hoodies are never really a good idea, Trayvon.

cold but funny.

[JohannBessler]

^He has a point, RJ.

Once I went through a lazy stage. On my days off, I'd wear a baseball cap and wouldn't shave. I must have looked like white trash on wheels.

One day, I went to return a cable box. The people in the reception room openly mocked me. I have never forgotten the pain of that moment, but it did teach me an important lesson--people really do judge us by the clothes we wear.

It may seem unfair, but it's the ugly truth.

You might want to ditch the hoodie, RJ, and get out your Sunday best.

[refujiunderground]

^He has a point, RJ.

Once I went through a lazy stage. On my days off, I'd wear a baseball cap and wouldn't shave. I must have looked like white trash on wheels.

One day, I went to return a cable box. The people in the reception room openly mocked me. I have never forgotten the pain of that moment, but it did teach me an important lesson--people really do judge us by the clothes we wear.

It may seem unfair, but it's the ugly truth.

You might want to ditch the hoodie, RJ, and get out your Sunday best.

i disagree with that wholeheartedly. if someone wants to be ignorant, it doesn't matter how you dress or what you do, you can't change their way of thinking. that's something that's on them. they're still going to look at you the same way regardless whether you're in a suit or in street clothes. they have their minds made up about you and those are the people you need to watch out for. there's some exceptions to that such as going to a job interview or to work but otherwise, you have no right to be judged for dressing up in whatever you want simply going to the corner store or return a cable box. you should never blame yourself for someone's ignorance. it's not your fault. the people at the cable company were being jackasses and completely unprofessional laughing at you for how you looked. you should have gave a complaint. their job is to serve you as a customer, not to poke jokes at you. i hope they got fired for that.

as for trayvon martin, what happened to him was a tragedy. dude was simply walking the street minding his business and he gets gunned down because the guy that shot him was ignorant. he assumed that because he saw a black man in a hoodie that he was going to commit crime. he had his mind made up about trayvon. didn't approach him or whatever. just assumed he was a criminal and treated him like one. if trayvon was white, he would have been left alone. it's clear that george zimmerman's ignorance was what led to what happened. besides, it was raining outside so trayvon having a hoodie on would make sense. wouldn't it?

and it's not like i went around the gym with the hood over my head looking like a wrestler. i walked into the gym with a hoodie because it was cold outside.

[JohannBessler]

^I agree with you, RJ, but we have to face an ugly truth.

People DO judge us on our appearance. I hate it, too, but that's just the way it is.

[JayHawk]

I have learnt dat if you tell the dog not to pee in the house he wont... but he may take a dump...

[johaninsc]

to stay off the roads when in Russia...

[refujiunderground]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/boxing-...n-to-ring.html

geez, i just learned that some people can't deal with failure.

i know he got the beating of a lifetime but geez, dude was about to throw himself under the bus after the fight. i hope he got some mental help because it sounds like dude had a nervous breakdown after that fight. i don't think dude mentally is right upstairs to get back into the ring.

[mitchymo]

You mean get rid of your love handles?

How very dare you!!!

[ashonfire]

I had a guy contact me on Scruff (a gay smartphone app for guys who like "scruffier" types - bears, beards, body hair etc.) who told me in quite detailed language how he wanted to masturbate while I blew up a balloon until it popped. I'd never heard of that fetish so after a few minutes of being bewildered I googled it. Apparently it's not entirely uncommon and folks that get off on balloony funtimes are referred to as looners. Fascinating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon_fetish

[HunterM]

^ looners? Sounds like lunatics. How appropriate!

[Axxess]

I had a guy contact me on Scruff (a gay smartphone app for guys who like "scruffier" types - bears, beards, body hair etc.) who told me in quite detailed language how he wanted to masturbate while I blew up a balloon until it popped. I'd never heard of that fetish so after a few minutes of being bewildered I googled it. Apparently it's not entirely uncommon and folks that get off on balloony funtimes are referred to as looners. Fascinating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon_fetish

Did you take him up on his offer?

I know better than to click a link about a fetish

[refujiunderground]

that i still don't know wtf those kids were spelling out at the end of jahiem's fabulous record.



G-R-U-T-E-F-U-G-L-A-F-T-S-U-C-G-E?? say what??

for those that don't know what i'm talking about.

one of new jersey's own. got the nerve to name your albums "still ghetto", "ghetto classics" and the hugest wtf of them all "ghetto love" he's not even from brick city. he's from new brunswick.

starts at the 3:04 mark.

[belamo]

I had a guy contact me on Scruff (a gay smartphone app for guys who like "scruffier" types - bears, beards, body hair etc.) who told me in quite detailed language how he wanted to masturbate while I blew up a balloon until it popped. I'd never heard of that fetish so after a few minutes of being bewildered I googled it. Apparently it's not entirely uncommon and folks that get off on balloony funtimes are referred to as looners. Fascinating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon_fetish

Wiki does not specify, apart from poppers and non-poppers, whether you have to blow with your mouth, or fart, or whatever...

[belamo]

Yesterday (I forgot to post) I learned that Philippe de Courcillon, marquis de Dangeau, was the type who inspired La Bruyère's Pamphile, and les Caractères being one of my very favorite books for almost twenty years already, it was about time that I learned it...

Today, oh happy day, I have learnt to appreciate Milton, at least his Paradise Lost, so I went and bought the apparently only readily available copy for sale in the whole metro area of Barcelona of that Pullman edition.
Not that I had totally ignored PL... I remember that quote at the beginning of Mary W.S's Frankie but, despite having realized for some time already that my B-chest of books (of course I did not acquire it to be set along my beloved authors) was wanting English language books (just a selection of Keats and, only from a few days ago, Gatsby), I did not make the move until I read the quotes commented by Keats, that I am throwing away as I read or study from the complete edition that was substituted by the one mentioned above.

[LatimerRd]

That Shakespeare's Sonnet 30 is the source for the title, "Remembrance of Things Past", by which readers of the English translation of "A la recherche du temps perdu" knew the work, now commonly translated as "In Search of Lost Time".

That the Salinas is a part time river, from John Steinbeck's "East of Eden". Steinbeck is my favorite American writer.

[belamo]

That Shakespeare's Sonnet 30 is the source for the title, "Remembrance of Things Past", by which readers of the English translation of "A la recherche du temps perdu" knew the work, now commonly translated as "In Search of Lost Time".

That the Salinas is a part time river, from John Steinbeck's "East of Eden". Steinbeck is my favorite American writer.

I have a couple of PDF with his Grapes and something... we will see if they will be part of my readings of the next ten months...

[cgymike]

I learned that if you make a thread criticising JUB the thread is deleted.

[pat grimshaw]

^ which thread was that?

[cgymike]

It doesn't matter the thread is gone.

[ashonfire]

Did you take him up on his offer?

I know better than to click a link about a fetish

Nah. Part of me would like to go because I'm fascinated by oddness generally but it wouldn't be fair to guy for me to meet-up just to gawk.

The link's safe, it's a pretty light and comparatively non-confronting, though mind-boggling, fetish.

[ChickenGuy]

that i still don't know wtf those kids were spelling out at the end of jahiem's fabulous record.



G-R-U-T-E-F-U-G-L-A-F-T-S-U-C-G-E?? say what??

for those that don't know what i'm talking about.

one of new jersey's own. got the nerve to name your albums "still ghetto", "ghetto classics" and the hugest wtf of them all "ghetto love" he's not even from brick city. he's from new brunswick.

starts at the 3:04 mark.

Don't know the song but....

(after listening about four times)


U-N-I-T-Y is all we need

to get our R-E-S-P-E-C-T

and never G-I-V-E U-P

and keep your H-E-A-D U-P


(then they repeat the last two lines many times)

[refujiunderground]

Don't know the song but....

(after listening about four times)


U-N-I-T-Y is all we need

to get our R-E-S-P-E-C-T

and never G-I-V-E U-P

and keep your H-E-A-D U-P


(then they repeat the last two lines many times)

why does such a positive message sound so funny then when they say it like that? it just sounds awkward when they spell it.

[jkom1f]

I learned that this website is a strange beast.

[bankside]

I've learnt that not all Canadians are familiar with standard English. I had assumed that even when we make a habit of using American English (aluminum, tire, curb, sidewalk…) we'd still recognise real English English.