O G San

Reply to No God Please, We're European in International JoeUser Forums

Veevom, It is unprovable because Europe is Christian and not Buddhist. It is provable that theocracies are nearly always backward and miserable. As I acknowledged, some of what Christ said (assuming he ever existed) is very humane and laudable. But the actions of religious groups over the centuries have been less than laudable, to say the least. It's these same anti-Enlightenment churches who now want God, THEIR God, mentioned

Typhoons And Tower Blocks in Misc JoeUser Forums

There must be a limit to how much concrete one country can take before it starts to sink. The Korean peninsula isn't much of a size and the South makes up less than half of it. Yet fifty million people are crammed into this little country. Understandably, the density of population means that spacious villas are a little on the expensive side. The landscape of Korea is

No God Please, We're European in International JoeUser Forums

The European Union (EU) usually throws up controversies which are impenetrable to all but the most jargonistically proficient. Debates about subsidiarity, arguments over qualified majority voting, disputes over the minutest detail of agricultural policy; the Union's negotiations are often a matter of zero interest to the average European. So it's welcome tha

Stubbornness in International JoeUser Forums

Stubbornness is a valuable attribute to possess. Success in any field is almost impossible without a willingness to persevere through difficult times. Our progress as a species from hunter-gatherers to astronauts would not have been possible if we gave up at the first sign of difficulty. But stubbornness is far from completely positive. It may very often be necessary,

A Bad Week For Democracy in International JoeUser Forums

There's no other way to describe the turnout in last week's election to the European parliament. In Ireland 58% voted in the South and 51% in the North. Ordinarily, I'd describe these per centages as pathetic but, in light of the figures from some other parts pf the continent, Ireland looks like a star student. Perhaps most shocking of all was the fact that t

Some Korean Vignettes in Misc JoeUser Forums

A few weeks ago I was ambling towards the bus stop when the number 2002 came roaring down the road. Breaking into a sprint I made it on just in time. As the bus pulled away I took a note from my pocket and put it in the box. And then I groaned. I had accidentally paid 10 000 won (about five pounds) for a bus journey which costs just 1 000 won (about 50 pence). <

Reply to Are you a straight, white male? in Philosophy JoeUser Forums

"Ok, if you are a straight, white male you probably know how it seems every organization appears to be against you" Er, no I don't.

Soundtrack To The Peace Process in Misc JoeUser Forums

It will soon be the tenth anniversary of the first paramilitary ceasefires in Northern Ireland (NI). A whole decade of (relative) peace in our wee Ulster - who would have thought it, eh? Of course, many things have changed in the past ten years. Back in 1994, I had a pseudo-Afro, now I'm receding. Recently I got to thinking about the music of the last ten years, the s

Reply to One Last Chance in International JoeUser Forums

That link didn't work, apologies. a radical, The vote was from Thursday-Sunday (different countries traditionally vote on different days). The count was on Sunday and, in some places, Monday. Madine was refering to the council elections which were held in parts of England and Wales on the same day as the Euro vote. The European parliament is an institution of the EU. It's not a parliament like national parliaments -

Reply to One Last Chance in International JoeUser Forums

Indeed but not quite poorly enough as far as I'm concerned: Link

Reply to One Last Chance in International JoeUser Forums

Madine, thanks for your comments. I've blogged about some of these issues before, so here is a shameless plug: Link Link As for your question about Saddam, what comes after him? Civil war in which perhaps tens of thousands die? Is Saddam worse than that? He is a terrible man but there are many more

Reply to On A Korean Island in International JoeUser Forums

I'm living in Seoul right now. Thanks for your kind words. Any chance of turning the caps lock off?

Reply to When Thatcher Goes in International JoeUser Forums

Pete, good to have an opinion from the peasant hating perspective. You people are a misunderstood minority these days.

Reply to One Last Chance in International JoeUser Forums

Madine, The other countries at the UN are playing nice now, so what? The war was wrong, Iraq is a mess and things will not get better after July 1st. Miki, Huh? Hyzhenhok, Why should I respect him? Breaking wih the Americans would have taken a lot of courage. "when everyone else is telling you its wrong" So basically you're saying that Blair was told that this would be a disaster but he d

One Last Chance in International JoeUser Forums

As someone who thinks of himself as left of centre, I naturally hope that this week's European elections see a large number of members returned to Strasbourg under the umbrella of the Party of European Socialists (PES). I certainly hope that one of these new MEPs has a Belfast accent. But strangely, I also hope that as few as possible of the PES' MEPs are members of t

When Thatcher Goes in International JoeUser Forums

Not all Americans are grieving this week at the news of the death of their 40th president. For those to the left of the Democratic mainstream, the passing of the Gipper is no reason for sorrow. Indeed some of the people who have written about Reagan this week should quite frankly have waited until the man was buried before having their say. In spite of this,

Reply to Today Would Be a Good Day to Die in Blogging JoeUser Forums

Hey Mason, So many responses so I'll keep mine brief. Hope things get better soon.

Reply to For Evil To Prosper in International JoeUser Forums

Interesting comment BakerStreet. Spoiling your ballot means deliberately not casting a valid vote. Usually it means scrawling on your ballot paper or writing something like "you're all bastards" or something like that. I said before that it can't be misinterpreted but I have to admit that that's not strictly true. Some people spoil their ballot accidentally, particularly elderly voters. Nevertheless, I still believe it is a

Reply to For Evil To Prosper in International JoeUser Forums

I totally agree, but my point is that the proper response is to spoil your ballot since this can not be interpreted as anything other than a protest against the political system. Staying at home could be a protest or it could just be laziness.

For Evil To Prosper in International JoeUser Forums

The great Irish philosopher Edmund Burke, as well as being a writer of some renown, was also a Member of Parliament (MP) in the British House of Commons. Such was the tedious nature of his speeches that his fellow MPs took to calling him "Tea-Bell Burke". When the great man rose to speak, many others in the chamber took this as their cue to retire to the tea-room.

Reply to Our Greatest President in International JoeUser Forums

I don't really care and I suppose, as a foreigner, it's not my place to say anyway. But still, Kennedy? Why exactly? For his nice hair? For getting shot? What did he do that allows him to be put in the same bracket as historically significant men like FDR, Lincoln and Washington? Not saying these guys were angels, but they were certainly important.

Reply to CIA Director Tenet is Canned... Er, Misses Family in Politics JoeUser Forums

Some other big cheese at the CIA left today, maybe he wants to spend more time with Tenet's family as well:)

Reply to Soldiers Or Civilians in International JoeUser Forums

Yes, that thought occured to me when I was writing, that the British too were hypocrites, calling the Provos criminals but not prepared, in some circumstnces, to treat them like criminals i.e. shooting them rather than attempting to arrest them.

Soldiers Or Civilians in International JoeUser Forums

There's a scene in Sean O'Casey's "Juno and the Paycock" when the "hero" of the piece, Joxer Daly, turns his attention to those republicans who died fighting for Ireland to be free. He is unsymapthetic" "There's no use them wailing when they meet a soldier's fate" he concludes. Reading this ten years ago, I was struck by how true the sentiment sounded in spite of its

Reply to What's Wrong With Saudi Arabia? in International JoeUser Forums

Thanks for your comments. All very interesting and perhaps also all very true. I heard a theory that the Saudis don't want the price of oil to go too high in case the West starts to invest in different energy sources. Of course, they should be doing that anyway, coz the oil isn't going to last forever, but that's another story.