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I literally don’t see where did you take this from in my post. My post was about people picking sides using double standards where in one case one aggressor is good, and in the other case similar aggressor is bad. I don’t care if someone sees this as a totalising but if a person has the view I mention then I wouldn’t really take it seriously.
Again, a person is either pro war or against it. No middle ground, no compromise where one war is better and fairer than the other one. The death of average folks is always bad, no exceptions. I won’t comment on these wars themselves politically, it’s extremely toxic and ineffective topic to talk about, I highlight that personal positions of regular citizens should be bit better than double standards when it comes to destruction and regress.
Jutsa, Atsvea, Lord Dominator, Zerphen, and 2 othersVantser, and Greater Morvonia
At the root, I think the main factor is this pernicious and frankly evil idea that the world consists of Us and (eww) Them. Politicians often exacerbate this by using Them as a scapegoat for our failings.
I've got news for you, folks... It's humans all the way down.
I think you can be against war in general, but for it in the right circumstances, and there is such a thing as just and unjust war, as well as just wars conducted in unjust fashion. One need not be the defender in a war for war to be just either.
For example, even without 9/11 I believe that removing the Taliban was the right thing to do. That we failed in the long run to implement lasting change was a failure of policy, of course.
I’ve also got news: humans possess a cool thing called evolution, the social one precisely in this case. We can “justify” everything evil for eternity as “we’re just humans” and then I hope it all ends for our species asap. Or we can use helpful built-in feature and keep developing, keep becoming better and, wow, the change starts from our own selves. Cliche, but it’s always simple and I notice how individuals make simple things look more difficult.
Also it costs nothing for one to condemn an armed violence if they believe it’s wrong, for instance. Without “if”, “but”, “circumstances” and other examples of being hypocritical. Or otherwise, be honest and direct and say “I support armed violence”, because these “ifs” and “buts” are the same phrase masked to look different.
Howdy y’all!
Jaguarundi National Park:
I built a Wonder! It’s called “Jaguarundi National Park” with the tagline “Where The Wild Jaguarundis Are!! :-)”
Please feel free to Upvote my “Jaguarundi National Park” and Contribute to it! Thank you in advance! :-)
BTW, if anyone wishes to be Co-Owner, Public Relations, Manager or Builder of my "Jaguarundi National Park", please let me know and I'll add you. :-)
Max a.k.a. 
Yip Man a.k.a. 
Texas Jaguarundi
Texas' Ambassador to Forest
Forest's Ambassador to Texas
Something mostly positive heard on the radio today from this political historian. Was saying that up till the mid-20th century it was normal through history for over 50% of government spending to be on military. It was only post ww2 (where uk went up to 70%) that %spending began to plummet, down to the 7% world average it is now.
This downwars trend has reversed a little in the past 2 years, but overall our lifetimes have been ones of major demilitarisation.
BTW can anyone please tell me what puzzle this is that we have to solve to Generate Resources for our wonder or other people's wonders? It looks like Sudoku but it's not quite like it so I've no idea what's this puzzle or how to play it. Any information or assistance is really appreciated. Thanks in advance. :-)
Max a.k.a. Yip Man a.k.a. Texas Jaguarundi
Texas' Ambassador to Forest
Forest's Ambassador to Texas
From last page :p
For those who find it hard, here are some thoughts.
- Start from the easier bits, they will help with the rest.
- In that respect, generally look at the short lines first.
- There are usually some strong clues in the lines with the highest and lowest totals. *
- When you know the remaining numbers in a line but not the position, try them based on the high/mid/low needs of the crossing lines.
* A quick reference: you get to know thesae patterns quite quickly...
Length 2 lines
Total - digits available
3 - 1 & 2
4 - 1 & 3
16 - 7 & 9
17 - 8 & 9
Length 3 lines
Total - digits available
6 - 1, 2, 3
7 - 1, 2, 4
23 - 6, 8, 9
24 - 7, 8, 9
Length 4 lines
Total - digits available
10 - 1, 2, 3, 4
11 - 1, 2, 3, 5
29 - 5, 7, 8, 9
30 - 6, 7, 8, 9
Almonaster Nuevo: Thank you very much but I'm still stuck on this puzzle.
https://i.imgur.com/nEN9whP.png
Can you or someone else give me a sample solution please? Thanks in advance!
Edit: Nevermind. I somehow managed to solve 3 of those puzzles. XD!
Max a.k.a. Yip Man a.k.a. Texas Jaguarundi
Texas' Ambassador to Forest
Forest's Ambassador to Texas
Yahoo!
Only just started figuring out the puzzles but now my wonder has appeared.
Library of Unfinished Stories, not sure what resources would be needed to finish all of them but any contribution might be appreciated.
https://imgur.com/MvAszQw
(The animation isn't great but in conjunction with the notes above it should be enough to illustrate the process.)
I just wanted to say that I love the new game! I think it's a great idea, and I like that it's based on puzzles and skill. I haven't had time to participate in it yet, but I hope to do so before the event ends. Hopefully this becomes a recurring feature in time. Also, I'd like to give a brief shoutout to our delegate, 
Verdant Haven, for their role in the design and launch of the game! 🧩🎰
Well, considering Israel has started doing stuff so egregious, they actually have to apologize for it, hopefully we'll see some actual pushback against them from the west. I'm talking about the unambiguously intentional targeting of aid vehicles, clearly marked and actively in contact with the IDF, driving through a designated safe zone. Mind you, this isn't worse than their "kill-zone" nonsense, or targeting of journalists, or their garbage about every hospital in Gaza being Hamas HQ, but those only killed Palestinians. When a white person dies, that's when politicians take notice.
Absolutely. But I think the double standard is even deeper than that. Just listen to how U.S. politicians talk about aid for Ukraine and Israel. To get aid for Ukraine, congress has to fight tooth and nail, and make sure Ukraine only uses their equipment for defense, even though the military aid given doesn't really cost the U.S. anything. All they're doing is sending outdated stuff collecting dust in warehouses, and realistically, the cost of transportation and training of Ukrainian operators is negligible compared to the military budget. But for Israel, they need top-of-the-line equipment to deal with Hamas, and putting any conditions at all on how these weapons are used means that Israel, the strongest military in the Middle East, will be overrun by a terrorist cell armed with whatever Iran has lying around. Hell, I've heard people saying that instead of sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine, more military aid should go to Israel. Even though people agree Ukraine is the "correct" side, we need to have moderation in how we help them, and maybe they're doing just fine as is, and do they really need the Khersan Oblast back?
This is crazy to me, because I've heard self-described antisemites talk about this conflict, and a lot of them are pro-Israel. Particularly Christian Nationalists, as a lot of them believe that the Jews need to control the Holy Land for the end-times to come about. They'll all die in said end-times, but sucks for them, I guess.
Biden acts like he's powerless to actually do anything except send Israel more guns. The U.S. is holding up Israel's entire military, and Netanyahu has the gall to screen Biden's calls? I get internal politics can be complicated, but I simply do not believe that Biden has no leverage here. He talked a big game about humanitarian aid for Gaza, but Israel is actively working to prevent aid, and all the U.S. has done is ask Israel not to do that, and continue to send them weapons.
I'd argue that truly being against war requires you to support sides in them. Wars don't just happen for no reason; there's usually a myriad of underlying factors, from disparities in material conditions, to nationalist fervor, to nations deciding they're willing to risk war to get a bit more land. You can be against war, but they will happen whether or not you support them. So for you, the geopolitical entity with a modernized and powerful army, the anti-war position is to support whatever outcome prevents future conflicts.
The Ukraine-Russia war would still happen if Ukraine received no aid, because Ukrainians are willing to fight a war to not be Russian. Supporting Ukraine doesn't cause the war, but it makes sure the "right side" wins, and sets a precedent that if you try to do 1800s land grab nonsense, the world will unite against you, making future wars of the type far less likely. Of course, this precedent is undermined when you support Israel's 1800s land grab nonsense, but I legitimately believe that supporting Ukraine makes it less likely that Russia will try to push further into the Caucasus, and makes China wary about invading Taiwan.
The difference in budgetary spending may be true, but it is also worth noting that, in most cases, the relative GDP and tax revenues were also significantly lower meaning that modern nations can engage in the roughly the same, or even significantly greater in some cases, militarism than was previously possible on a relatively smaller portion of any given government's budget. In recent times, this has only increased as militarism has increasingly taken on the form of incursion actions rather than major battles, meaning that militarism can be continued almost nonstop without increasing the budget. Just saying....
I'm going to add onto what 
Einswenn said: I wish it was just being seen as "less evil", but it's not even being evil at all. At best a "necessary evil" which is eventually pushed away from public view. This is not the first time Israel bombs Gaza or Palestinians, targets Palestinian civilians, murders journalists (including Western ones), refers to and dehumanises Palestinians as animals and savage, dismisses international calls for humanitarian action, and so much more. 
Uan aa Boa is on point when they discuss the virtue signalling and the evident double standard; It has always been clear that certain lives matter more than others. And even then, despite the seven dead aid workers being white and western, they're arguing over intention and their countries have failed to protect them.
Israel, being the only "democracy" in the Middle East and the shining beacon of progress among "savages", has the right to commit genocide and steal their land!
Whatever the West decides is worth doing now, whether that is the return of hostages or withdrawal from Gaza etc., their image has been completely destroyed if it wasn't already ruined a long time ago. I'm practically begging that they stop the genocide in Gaza, but even when that's achieved, the damage has been already done for coming up on 200 days now. I'm someone who is from Egypt/Albania, I'm well aware that people like me and our countries aren't considered and don't matter. Israel can apologise as much as it wants, nobody should accept them or believe them for that matter. This genocide would not have continued for so long if it did not have a semblance of support among Americans and Israelis.
I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that, as someone living in a western country, I am tired of constantly being lectured on human rights and democracy. I'm tired of the scare tactics being used by countries such as the United States and many of its allies against China (which has many parallels with the economic war led against Japan in the 80s and 90s). I'm over it with this constant notion of implied, self-given moral superiority that they have approached the rest of the world with for a long time. After the war in Gaza, which is just the latest act, I really don't want to hear a western politician lecture anyone on morals or the like ever again.
Einswenn, Calenmor, Jutsa, Atsvea, and 4 othersLord Dominator, Uan aa Boa, Canaltia, and Greater Morvonia
Hi, all! I know I've been inactive forever, so feel free to not contribute, but here is my Wonder: page=wonder/wid=1003922
Post by Esterild suppressed by 
Ruinenlust.
I love this concept!
1) @Almonaster Nuevo: I love your Mizumigari Sky Gardens concept too. :-)
Therefore I've Upvoted your Mizumigari Sky Gardens and Contributed Resources to it:
Seconds ago: The Lucky Eco Green Colony of Texas Jaguarundi contributed 7 Knowledge Resource.
Seconds ago: The Lucky Eco Green Colony of Texas Jaguarundi contributed 9 Logistics Resource.
:-)
2) This Wonder is Hillarious! :-p :
The RickRoll
“Never gonna give you up”
page=wonder/wid=1000153
3) Ladies and Gentlemen of Forest, if you haven't done it already please Upvote my Jaguarundi National Park "Where The Wild Jaguarundis Are!!" Thanks in advance. :-)
page=wonder/wid=1003267
4) Happy First Contact Day y'all :-)
In the Star Trek universe, First Contact Day holds special significance. On April 5, 2063, Zefram Cochrane made the first warp flight in the Phoenix, surpassing Warp 1 speeds. This historic event alerted the Vulcan race to humanity’s entrance into the interstellar community, marking the first official contact between Humans and Vulcans. Over 300 years later, this momentous occasion is commemorated as First Contact Day, and the celebration continues across the galaxy.
Max a.k.a. Yip Man a.k.a. Texas Jaguarundi
Texas' Ambassador to Forest
Forest's Ambassador to Texas
Esterild, Calenmor, Jutsa, Atsvea, and 3 othersLord Dominator, Greater Morvonia, and Ryepple
Also, for any Jane Austen fans out there, here is the Wonder of my alter ego, 
Mansfield Park: page=wonder/wid=1004000. Just for fun.
Wow all of these are really cool my favorite was the world's largest potatoes but all of these others wonders are also wonderful
Wow, I never thought I'd see the legendary old and long-mapped nation of Esterild make a RMB post :0
Will note that nowadays we try to refrain from double-posting and instead edit existing messages (it's one of those blanket-ban spam protections), especially for shorter messages. Just in case you were wondering why Ru suppressed your one post ;p
Hope to see you around more :3 And I thank you for your contributions to Mother Shrub. She'll be very happy. :^)
---------
As an aside. I. very much appreciate the more serious discussion you all have been having on the RMB. It's a little reassuring to not feel alone in my feelings nor reasons of contempt for certain things certain parts of certain governments (in this particular case, but more broadly also businesses and groups of individuals) have done over the years. Wish I had more to say but I think I'll just sit back with my newly returned electricity and cup of tea and appreciate reading my thoughts reflected back at me by near strangers. :)
...
several-hours-later Edit: Actually. I do have one thing to add. A great deal, if not the majority, of normal people involved in wars and conflicts don't want to be part of it. The number of people who have been arrested in Russia, or fled the country, or did physical damage to themselves so they wouldn't have to fight in the war should be noted. And as a close friend of mine within Israel has stated, Palestinians and Israelis often live in one country and work in the other. International media does not even begin to cover Israeli protests against the war and even the government in general. (The government there has had a few increasingly concerning things in addition to Palestine, including some huge proposed [passed?] changes to the judicial system that'd strip out a lot of their political liberties and protections.)
I just think it's worth remembering that people in aggressor countries also suffer from the questionable actions of their governments. In the case of the US and most western countries, perhaps not the majority, particularly in the last few decades... but it's worth remembering individuals who have extensively suffered because they were lied to or forced to.
Esterild, Calenmor, Atsvea, Lord Dominator, and 3 othersCanaltia, Zerphen, and Greater Morvonia
Oh and, even though the event is over and I never bothered to actually do anything to construct it, here is the description of Calenmor's Wonder, The Singing Fountains of Draugost page=wonder/wid=1001439
Esterild, Jutsa, Atsvea, Lord Dominator, and 2 othersGreater Morvonia, and Ryepple
So the pro-palestinisn posters on social media are making a viral thing over how the usa and israel were thd only ones to veto a UN resolution to make food a human right. Even the UK, normally steadfastly a US follower in resolutions, voted for.
This was new info to me, so factchecked it, and the only inaccuracy in the depictions was that this was back in 2021, rather than part of the ongoing Gaza strategy.
I am curious, however, as to how the US justified its position in this vote. Anyone know more?
Calenmor, Jutsa, Atsvea, Lord Dominator, and 4 othersMcClandia Doge 2, Zerphen, Greater Morvonia, and Ryepple
This looks like the thing you are talking about. I don't really understand the explanation provided, though. Worst-case reason is the US doesn't want to be held to a requirement to make sure its citizens are fed. Best-case reason is that the resolution is one of those things that sounds good but is actually poorly written or poorly thought-out.
https://usun.usmission.gov/explanation-of-vote-of-the-third-committee-adoption-of-the-right-to-food-resolution/
"The United States is concerned that the concept of 'food sovereignty' could justify protectionism or other restrictive import or export policies that will have negative consequences for food security, sustainability, and income growth...We also do not accept any reading of this resolution or related documents that would suggest that States have particular extraterritorial obligations arising from any concept of a 'right to food,' which we do not recognize and has no definition in international law."
EDIT: My best attempt at an interpretation is that the US doesn't want a "right to food" to lead to tariffs, and is also afraid that it might be expected to help feed people in other countries.
A big thank you to everyone who helped out.
The Sky Gardens came 50th for most talked about, 51st for most liked and 67th for most inventive.
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