Things that make you say "WTF?" [Archive]

Magic_Salad0892

08-19-10, 21:01

HAHA.

http://www.newsoftheweird.com/

Best news site EVAR.

Just before the World Cup matches, North Korea issued a public demand for compensation, blaming the United States for almost every single misfortune suffered by the country in the last 65 years. Its official news agency assigned the U.S. responsibility for 5 million people injured, kidnapped, missing or killed -- as well as for economic damages resulting from U.S.-led trade sanctions. According to the news agency, America can atone for the losses by sending North Korea $65 trillion. [Agence France-Presse, 6-25-10]

TOrrock

08-19-10, 21:03

Is it just me or has that continent turned into an even deeper shit hole in the last 50 years?

rickrock305

08-19-10, 21:10

Is it just me or has that continent turned into an even deeper shit hole in the last 50 years?

If you ask me, I think every continent has turned into a deeper shithole in the last 50 years :D

Belmont31R

08-19-10, 21:26

Is it just me or has that continent turned into an even deeper shit hole in the last 50 years?

Heh if Europeans never colonized Africa, never set foot there, etc, and we took a peek inside today what would it be like?

Probably no different than it was 300 years ago.

CarlosDJackal

08-19-10, 21:30

Is it just me or has that continent turned into an even deeper shit hole in the last 50 years?

Nah. The news coverage has just gotten "better". That continent has always been a shithole. How do you think this continent ended up with African slaves? They didn't exactly make it across on land bridges.

SteyrAUG

08-19-10, 22:32

Heh if Europeans never colonized Africa, never set foot there, etc, and we took a peek inside today what would it be like?

Probably no different than it was 300 years ago.

Probably mean 3,000 years ago.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/1624/1211822953rdhaqwn.jpg

armakraut

08-19-10, 23:10

Haters.

Who here hasn't sold an albino African for medicinal purposes?

Mjolnir

08-19-10, 23:10

Heh if Europeans never colonized Africa, never set foot there, etc, and we took a peek inside today what would it be like?

Probably no different than it was 300 years ago.
Still better than colonialism and neocolonialism. I'm an engineer, a technophile even, but technology isn't everything.

montanadave

08-19-10, 23:24

Apparently not a lot of Jared Diamond fans in the house.

500grains

08-20-10, 00:37

Apparently the problem is that the Tanzanian government is hoarding the supply of albinos (173,000 of them) and thus keeping the price artificially high.

Business_Casual

08-20-10, 05:52

Still better than colonialism and neocolonialism. I'm an engineer, a technophile even, but technology isn't everything.

Yes, how unspeakably cruel to bring medicine, the rule of law, mining, wells, sanitation, telegraphs, railroads, mineral rights and other horrible oppression to their idyllic garden of Eden.

Grow up.

B_C

variablebinary

08-20-10, 06:30

Yes, how unspeakably cruel to bring medicine, the rule of law, mining, wells, sanitation, telegraphs, railroads, mineral rights and other horrible oppression to their idyllic garden of Eden.

Grow up.

B_C

If Aliens came from space tomorrow with cures and energy advancements, but the price for their help was rape, robbery, murder, colonization, enslavement and destruction of your culture and religion, would you care about all their cool stuff.

I personally wouldn't. I would take up arms, even if Utah is not the Garden of Eden.

It's like that line in "Gladiator" when they are at war in Germania.
Quintus: "People should know when they're beaten!"
Maximus: "Would you, Quintus? Would I?"

Freedom is a God given right.

montanadave

08-20-10, 08:11

Mac5.56

08-20-10, 08:16

If you ask me, I think every continent has turned into a deeper shithole in the last 50 years :D

Agreed with both of you!

Business_Casual

08-20-10, 08:59

If Aliens came from space tomorrow with cures and energy advancements, but the price for their help was rape, robbery, murder, colonization, enslavement and destruction of your culture and religion, would you care about all their cool stuff.

I personally wouldn't. I would take up arms, even if Utah is not the Garden of Eden.

It's like that line in "Gladiator" when they are at war in Germania.
Quintus: "People should know when they're beaten!"
Maximus: "Would you, Quintus? Would I?"

Freedom is a God given right.

You clearly have no idea what colonial administration was actually like and no concept of how the residents were treated by the indiginous "rulers" prior to colonization.

Oh but every one knows better so I will just get kicked out of my own thread...

B_C

Alex V

08-20-10, 10:07

What I want to know is where the hell does a witchdoctor come up with $263K?

Im in the wrong profession! Im not one for piercings but a chicken bone through the nose ain't that bad if you get to have $263K to spend on an albino...

I would just buy a really pale person for cheap and spend the rest on a Ferrari 458...

rickrock305

08-20-10, 10:09

Heh if Europeans never colonized Africa, never set foot there, etc, and we took a peek inside today what would it be like?

Probably no different than it was 300 years ago.

It would be a much better place than it is today.

Business_Casual

08-20-10, 10:25

It would be a much better place than it is today.

Poppycock.

chadbag

08-20-10, 10:48

If Aliens came from space tomorrow with cures and energy advancements, but the price for their help was rape, robbery, murder, colonization, enslavement and destruction of your culture and religion, would you care about all their cool stuff.

I personally wouldn't. I would take up arms, even if Utah is not the Garden of Eden.

It's like that line in "Gladiator" when they are at war in Germania.
Quintus: "People should know when they're beaten!"
Maximus: "Would you, Quintus? Would I?"

Freedom is a God given right.

While I don't disagree with you, they were already being "colonized" and enslaved and raped and robbed by each other.

chadbag

08-20-10, 10:53

FWIW: an abstract on Albinism in Africa

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/6/212/

I wonder what the prevalence of Albinism is in the US, or in Europe, etc. This abstract says estimations in Africa are 1/5000 to 1/15000 . I have only ever seen an Albino once or twice that I can recall. With that sort of prevalence here I would have expected to see them more often, so I would guess that it is not as prevalent here.

SteyrAUG

08-21-10, 02:44

Apparently not a lot of Jared Diamond fans in the house.

To the contrary. I just don't agree with ALL of his conclusions.

I think his base premise is accurate, but there are rarely single cause issues. Culture is a really big one he overlooks.

For example, civilization began in the fertile crescent as you noted and for the reasons he pointed out. However that civilization arrested it's development as a result of Islamic culture.

thopkins22

08-21-10, 03:09

Nevermind.

QuickStrike

08-21-10, 03:24

At least 53 albinos have been killed since 2007 in the east African nation and their body parts sold for use in witchcraft, especially in the remote northwest regions of Mwanza and Shinyanga, both gold-mining regions where superstition is rife.

The victims' blood and body parts are used for potions. Witchdoctors tell their clients that the body parts will bring them luck in love, life and business.

Jeebus, and I thought that the people eating tiger barrs were bad. :o

These are human beings!

montanadave

08-21-10, 06:29

However that civilization arrested it's development as a result of Islamic culture.

Not to open up another can of worms (or to hijack this thread) but that's a an overly simplistic indictment of Islamic culture.

Had it not been for the nexus of Islamic and Byzantine cultures in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean, much of Greek and Roman culture would have been lost during the Dark Ages which afflicted Europe following the dissolution of the Roman Empire. Not to mention the cultural and scientific accomplishments of these cultures during a time when western European culture was stagnant.

By limiting one's perspective to a given period of history, one could advance a similar argument that nascent Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church were complicit in the "arrest" of western European culture during the Dark Ages.

The plague which has contaminated Islamic culture in recent history is religious fundamentalism fueled by an exploding population beset by poverty and illiteracy. Their youth have been bamboozled into believing that if they can somehow turn the clock back to the 14th century, Islam can reclaim its position as the ascendent world culture and erase the shame of having been left behind in modernity.

RogerinTPA

08-21-10, 08:05

To the contrary. I just don't agree with ALL of his conclusions.

I think his base premise is accurate, but there are rarely single cause issues. Culture is a really big one he overlooks.

For example, civilization began in the fertile crescent as you noted and for the reasons he pointed out. However that civilization arrested it's development as a result of Islamic culture.

Your statement is mostly true for north africa (sahara) and some east african countries, but not for the majority of the continent (sub-sahara), which is mostly tribal and non muslim. Believe it or not... the rest believe in Christianity (obviously converts), with small percentages in indigenous traditional religions (belief and affiliation to the village's or clan's god) as well as non religious beliefs.

mr_smiles

08-21-10, 08:54

The other white meat... :D

Pretty Fn sick, but these are the same people who believe in witchcraft and people turning into goats.

kwelz

08-21-10, 11:43

Not to open up another can of worms (or to hijack this thread) but that's a an overly simplistic indictment of Islamic culture.

Had it not been for the nexus of Islamic and Byzantine cultures in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean, much of Greek and Roman culture would have been lost during the Dark Ages which afflicted Europe following the dissolution of the Roman Empire. Not to mention the cultural and scientific accomplishments of these cultures during a time when western European culture was stagnant.

By limiting one's perspective to a given period of history, one could advance a similar argument that nascent Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church were complicit in the "arrest" of western European culture during the Dark Ages.

The plague which has contaminated Islamic culture in recent history is religious fundamentalism fueled by an exploding population beset by poverty and illiteracy. Their youth have been bamboozled into believing that if they can somehow turn the clock back to the 14th century, Islam can reclaim its position as the ascendent world culture and erase the shame of having been left behind in modernity.

Extremely good point all around.

Moose-Knuckle

08-21-10, 12:06

variablebinary

08-21-10, 15:28

A study of the Atlantic Slave Trade will show that blacks sold blacks to the Europeans slavers. The same thing is still going on in Africa today, they're just not selling them to the white man any longer since the white man abolished slavery in his culture.

The bulk of slave trade in Africa revolves around Muslims and non-Muslims. Slavery is nearly unheard of among Christian Africans, even in the primitive sub-Sahara

There is some remaining generational slave trade in the more rural territories (Your great grandfather killed my goat, so I own your ass for 5 generations) and a large sex slave trade industry for women and children, but sex slave trade is also rampant in the USA, Europe and Asia, so Africa holds not awards on that issue

There is still plenty of slavery in the world, even in Europe, but globally there is little to none state sanctioned slavery among industrialized nations, not counting excessive income taxation and Obamacare

Moose-Knuckle

08-21-10, 16:24

The bulk of slave trade in Africa revolves around Muslims and non-Muslims. Slavery is nearly unheard of among Christian Africans, even in the primitive sub-Sahara

There is some remaining generational slave trade in the more rural territories (Your great grandfather killed my goat, so I own your ass for 5 generations) and a large sex slave trade industry for women and children, but sex slave trade is also rampant in the USA, Europe and Asia, so Africa holds not awards on that issue

There is still plenty of slavery in the world, even in Europe, but globally there is little to none state sanctioned slavery among industrialized nations, not counting excessive income taxation and Obamacare

The number one "slave trade" today is the sex slave trade of mostly white and asian women and children.

Off topic but I personally feel that I'm no more free than my Irish and Scottish ancestor's were under the English feudal system with the banking cartel we live under. In a truly free society one would not have a “credit score”, every dollar would be backed by an ounce of gold, the people would freely elect whom ever they choose and would not be limited to two choices of parties that are bent on the same agenda yet are seemingly at odds.

armakraut

08-21-10, 21:02

In a truly free society one would not have a “credit score”, every dollar would be backed by an ounce of gold, the people would freely elect whom ever they choose and would not be limited to two choices of parties that are bent on the same agenda yet are seemingly at odds.

Madness!

BrianS

08-21-10, 21:22

Had it not been for the nexus of Islamic and Byzantine cultures in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean, much of Greek and Roman culture would have been lost during the Dark Ages which afflicted Europe following the dissolution of the Roman Empire.

Yeah, we owe a big debt of gratitude to Islam for failing to entirely destroy Greek culture before European scholars became interested in it during the Renaissance.

By limiting one's perspective to a given period of history, one could advance a similar argument that nascent Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church were complicit in the "arrest" of western European culture during the Dark Ages.

That argument would be spot on. Difference is Europe had a Renaissance and a Reformation while Islam has languished for 600 years. If our culture still allowed scientists to be tortured by ecclesiastical authorities and forced to recant their own discoveries we would still be as equally bankrupt as Islamic culture.