OT: The Thread About Nothing CCX: Pet Emporium

[devilsblood]

Read something recently that copper kills viruses. And at the first sign of a cold or flu, you rub some copper up in your nose, it helps stave off the virus.

So not a couple days later I feel like a cold is coming, and I get a piece of copper wire fashion it up a bit, and rub it along the inside of my nostrils, and as of right now I've feeling pretty good.

Now I have been big on the Ester C stuff the last couple years and that has worked really well, so that might be the driving force here, but it doesn't hurt to throw a couple things at it.

 

[tr83]

Read something recently that copper kills viruses. And at the first sign of a cold or flu, you rub some copper up in your nose, it helps stave off the virus.

So not a couple days later I feel like a cold is coming, and I get a piece of copper wire fashion it up a bit, and rub it along the inside of my nostrils, and as of right now I've feeling pretty good.

Now I have been big on the Ester C stuff the last couple years and that has worked really well, so that might be the driving force here, but it doesn't hurt to throw a couple things at it.

You're experiencing the placebo effect.

Copper wire doesn't help. Copper is a solid and would only be effective on the surface. By the time the bacterial or viral infection presents symptoms, it has already spread too deep into the nasal lining to be effective. It's ions could help, but there are not enough of them on the surface of copper to have any effect. Furthermore, copper ions are pretty toxic to cells.

Salt water (saline) can help a little in that the salt creates an environment that sucks out water, which is harsh to bacteria and viruses, slowing their progress. Gargling saline can also ease swelling associated with an infection temporarily. But you might have to deal with a nosebleed if you "inhale" it

 

[BenedictGomez]

Anyway, I like how people are seemingly ridiculing private companies for "appeasing" communist China, but won't comment on the fact that there's a lot of money to be made in China for Hollywood and pro sports leagues and they're simply doing the capitalist thing of "making as much money as legally possible." Can't fault them for that now, can we?!

You seem to have a pretty negative view of capitalism; just the fact that everyone is now being made aware of & is publicly "shaming" these companies should be proof enough to you our society doesn't totally separate morals from money. Not to mention the fact that the disinfectant of the "shaming" acts as a mechanism for corrective action by the same logic you note (i.e. they're going to be hurt financially if they continue). Ultimately greed is greed, and it has existed since the dawn of time.

The whole thing just reeks of hypocrisy from either perspective and it's honestly pretty funny that no one cared until an American firm wanted their employees to withdraw support for pro-democracy protestors. The fact that when you sign the dotted line to be employed by an entity you effectively agree to not go against the interests of said entity is an aside.

I really dont think it's that no one cared, I think it's that genuinely few Americans had (or have) any idea how pervasive Chinese censorship affects our lives. I'm 100% sure that's the case with Hollywood movies. The fact additional examples are now coming left & right I think proves that (they're blowing up my TWTR feed, like the AAPL link below). I hope that millions of Americans are receiving this education & some good will come of it. I'll say this much, had the Communist government known the massive negative publicity Daryl Morey's tweet saga would receive, they would have simply chose to ignore rather than turn the dial to 11.

Apple removes Taiwan flag emoji from iOS in Hong Kong

 

[New Jersey]

You seem to have a pretty negative view of capitalism; just the fact that everyone is now being made aware of & is publicly "shaming" these companies should be proof enough to you our society doesn't totally separate morals from money. Not to mention the fact that the disinfectant of the "shaming" acts as a mechanism for corrective action by the same logic you note (i.e. they're going to be hurt financially if they continue). Ultimately greed is greed, and it has existed since the dawn of time.

I really dont think it's that no one cared, I think it's that genuinely few Americans had (or have) any idea how pervasive Chinese censorship affects our lives. I'm 100% sure that's the case with Hollywood movies. The fact additional examples are now coming left & right I think proves that (they're blowing up my TWTR feed, like the AAPL link below). I hope that millions of Americans are receiving this education & some good will come of it. I'll say this much, had the Communist government known the massive negative publicity Daryl Morey's tweet saga would receive, they would have simply chose to ignore rather than turn the dial to 11.

Apple removes Taiwan flag emoji from iOS in Hong Kong

Liked because you said nothing here that is inaccurate...

 

[None Shall Pass]

China is extremely not communist anymore. It might be in the name of the ruling party still, but North Korea also calls themselves the "Democratic People's Republic", and no one would call them Democratic.

 

[New Jersey]

China is extremely not communist anymore. It might be in the name of the ruling party still, but North Korea also calls themselves the "Democratic People's Republic", and no one would call them Democratic.

But, but, they have a red and gold flag!

 

[Jack Be Quick]

Spending some more time on this subject tonight, because while I KNEW it was bad & have written to that effect prior, even I had no idea how pervasive this is becoming in American society to basically be "blackmailed" by China. The ESPN protecting China aspect of this NBA story seemed very odd to me at first, but this explains it well:

Holy oversimplification batman.

Marriott fired that employee because he was using a company account. As they should have. Don't involve your politics in my business. That's been my practice for a very long time and it's served me quite well.

Matt and Trey are doing what Matt and Trey do. Bloviate, posture, and stand atop the highest sanctimonious hill they can find. It's so disingenuous it would be infuriating unless you didn't already consider the source.

They stand to make a lot more stateside with this attempt at staying relevant then they ever would with a poorly translated version of that show which has no cultural relevance or point of reference whatsoever in that society. Viacom knows this, otherwise they would have shut this stunt down the same way they did with the Mohammed episode.

As far as others kowtowing and capitulating? We've turned a blind eye for decades to that brutal regime all in the name of cheap Jordan's and affordable phones. I don't see why it would be an issue now that the NBA and Hollywood (although I'm finding the connection here somewhat spurious) are trying to get in on the action.

You want access to the second largest market in the world you play by their rules. Obviously I don't agree with China's policies, but the selective outrage - not necessarily directed at you BG as I have no idea what your thoughts were when google capitulated or how many pairs of Nike's you own and what sort of phone you use - does aggravate me.

 

[BenedictGomez]

China is extremely not communist anymore.

It's complicated, but China is 100% totalitarian, and can (and does) flip the "Communism On" switch whenever it feels or deems necessary. Communist Light is still Communism in my book, but YOMV.

A Chinese guy I knew from my MBA class (maybe the smartest guy in class) dreamed of starting his own business, but feared after working his azz off for 20 or 40 years, the Communist government could just willy-nilly seize his company & all his assets someday. That was such a strong fear to him that instead of following his dream, he didnt return to China & moved to Vancouver instead.

 

[Jack Be Quick]

Good on south park.

I get so tired of everyone bending over backwards for china

For better or worse we deal with them because it's in our best interest. That and you can't expect to tell the 2nd largest economy in the world with 1.4 billion people in it to just piss off. We're not talking about Iran here, no matter how much some would like us to believe.

 

[Jack Be Quick]

I used to care about South Park and pretty much lost all interest when the world was introduced to Rick and Morty.

Anyway, I like how people are seemingly ridiculing private companies for "appeasing" communist China, but won't comment on the fact that there's a lot of money to be made in China for Hollywood and pro sports leagues and they're simply doing the capitalist thing of "making as much money as legally possible." Can't fault them for that now, can we?!

The whole thing just reeks of hypocrisy from either perspective and it's honestly pretty funny that no one cared until an American firm wanted their employees to withdraw support for pro-democracy protestors. The fact that when you sign the dotted line to be employed by an entity you effectively agree to not go against the interests of said entity is an aside.

Precisely.

 

[devilsblood]

You're experiencing the placebo effect.

Copper wire doesn't help. Copper is a solid and would only be effective on the surface. By the time the bacterial or viral infection presents symptoms, it has already spread too deep into the nasal lining to be effective. It's ions could help, but there are not enough of them on the surface of copper to have any effect. Furthermore, copper ions are pretty toxic to cells.

Salt water (saline) can help a little in that the salt creates an environment that sucks out water, which is harsh to bacteria and viruses, slowing their progress. Gargling saline can also ease swelling associated with an infection temporarily. But you might have to deal with a nosebleed if you "inhale" it

Well it's either

a)I never had a cold brewing

or

b)the vitamin C helped knock it back.

But as I don't currently have a cold, it's def not a placebo.

The science you posted sounds right but I think I'm going to continue sticking copper wire up my nose though. Just in case.

 

[Jack Be Quick]

It's complicated, but China is 100% totalitarian, and can (and does) flip the "Communism On" switch whenever it feels or deems necessary. Communist Light is still Communism in my book, but YOMV.

A Chinese guy I knew from my MBA class (maybe the smartest guy in class) dreamed of starting his own business, but feared after working his azz off for 20 or 40 years, the Communist government could just willy-nilly seize his company & all his assets someday. That was such a strong fear to him that instead of following his dream, he didnt return to China & moved to Vancouver instead.

China is extremely not communist anymore. It might be in the name of the ruling party still, but North Korea also calls themselves the "Democratic People's Republic", and no one would call them Democratic.

There is nothing communist about China.

If Xi believed in or exhibited wealth redistribution to anyone other than his oligarch buddies you'd have a point. But he doesn't because he's a totalitarian dictator.

 

[Darkauron]

No country was ever "truly" communist anyway.

But still, yeah you cant *not* work with china economics wise but you know people can be allowed to be upset at companies and people working with a China who lack respect for human rights and are brainwashed by its totalitarian police state government.

 

[None Shall Pass]

Yeah the leftover red-scare propaganda has everyone convinced that totalitarianism and communism are intertwined, and they're not. Plenty of totalitarianism in the governments that the US built up in Central and South America, and Europe, during the Cold War. Communism is an economic system, first and foremost. Totalitarianism is a ruling style, a social system.

Previously-Communist-China, and a lot of the legacy communist countries, enacted communist reform before having the material wealth to redistribute. That's partially why it failed in the USSR and partially why it was failing in China before the past decade-ish of economic reform.

What's super interesting about present China is what they're doing now - recognizing that communism means redistribution, and they had little to redistribute - is based heavily on actual Marxism-Leninism. They're calling it "socialism with Chinese characteristics": Socialism with Chinese characteristics - Wikipedia

They are doing that, building up wealth, then theoretically moving to "actual" socialism, then eventually back to communism.

I'll believe it when I see it, but they (And practically any honest person with an economics background) will be the first to tell you that they are not a Communist country, as will the facts of how China works.

 

[New Jersey]

Yeah the leftover red-scare propaganda has everyone convinced that totalitarianism and communism are intertwined, and they're not. Plenty of totalitarianism in the governments that the US built up in Central and South America, and Europe, during the Cold War. Communism is an economic system, first and foremost. Totalitarianism is a ruling style, a social system.

And no one wants to talk about THIS!

 

[Jack Be Quick]

No country was ever "truly" communist anyway.

But still, yeah you cant *not* work with china economics wise but you know people can be allowed to be upset at companies and people working with a China who lack respect for human rights and are brainwashed by its totalitarian police state government.

Capatilist hypocrisy knows few bounds because it's amoral by design.

I revert back to something a friend said to me last week when I questioned him about maintaining a membership to a certain business with questionable practices; his response was "do you like to eat food?"

We all make concessions and strange bedfellows in this life.

 

[MadDevil]

So I'm moving on Friday...and we're expected to get like 10-12 inches of snow between Thursday and Saturday.

 

[BenedictGomez]

They are doing that, building up wealth, then theoretically moving to "actual" socialism, then eventually back to communism.

Socialism + Time = Communism. Or bankruptcy, whichever comes first. I do not believe China is anywhere near as prosperous as many believe. When you are literally building "cities" of skyscrapers out of poor construction materials & in which nobody actually lives, you dont need to be an economics expert to know something's wrong. This is IMO a hybrid of the shell game meets a ponzi scheme on a massive level. All done to keep the peasants employed & the populace in check. Regardless of everything we're hearing about how "rich" & "prosperous" China is, I am confident it will meet the same fate as Communist Russia.

 

[Nubmer6]

So I'm moving on Friday...and we're expected to get like 10-12 inches of snow between Thursday and Saturday.

Umm... you're in North Dakota?

So you're getting less snow than expected for this time of year?

 

[BahlDeep]

Socialism + Time = Communism. Or bankruptcy, whichever comes first. I do not believe China is anywhere near as prosperous as many believe. When you are literally building "cities" of skyscrapers out of poor construction materials & in which nobody actually lives, you dont need to be an economics expert to know something's wrong. This is IMO a hybrid of the shell game meets a ponzi scheme on a massive level. All done to keep the peasants employed & the populace in check. Regardless of everything we're hearing about how "rich" & "prosperous" China is, I am confident it will meet the same fate as Communist Russia.

That's a bold prediction. The USSR never came close to having the same resources that China has currently. China has one of the fastest growing middle class in the world in the past 20 years or so, while most developed country are facing a shrinking middle class. And it's only getting better, some studies predict that it will reach >70% in a couple of years (currently at around 40%). In contrast, the USA is only at 50% and it used to be much higher in the past.

From an economic stand point, I would say that the US has way more cracks then China's.

 

[Jack Be Quick]

Socialism + Time = Communism.

I have no idea what this means.

Capitalism + Time = Anarchy

Democracy + Time = Socialism

None of these are mutually exclusive.

Keep in mind there are very few communist or democratic societies on this planet. And the US and China are neither.

 

[Jack Be Quick]

Yeah the leftover red-scare propaganda has everyone convinced that totalitarianism and communism are intertwined, and they're not. Plenty of totalitarianism in the governments that the US built up in Central and South America, and Europe, during the Cold War. Communism is an economic system, first and foremost. Totalitarianism is a ruling style, a social system.

So many facts here that are lost on the general public.

 

[Saugus]

We just got a puppy a month ago, and if she had her way, she'd murder every squirrel on the block.

If I had it my way, I'd let her.

If my dogs had their way, we would have a squirrel genocide on our hands.

China is extremely not communist anymore. It might be in the name of the ruling party still, but North Korea also calls themselves the "Democratic People's Republic", and no one would call them Democratic.

I would describe them as closer to "authoritarian state capitalism" now. That's why they and Russia get along relatively well despite ostensibly representing opposite ends of the political spectrum.

That's a bold prediction. The USSR never came close to having the same resources that China has currently. China has one of the fastest growing middle class in the world in the past 20 years or so, while most developed country are facing a shrinking middle class. And it's only getting better, some studies predict that it will reach >70% in a couple of years (currently at around 40%). In contrast, the USA is only at 50% and it used to be much higher in the past.

From an economic stand point, I would say that the US has way more cracks then China's.

China is facing a demographic time bomb in the future, however. The one child policy, while recently rescinded, created a whole generation with an unbalanced gender ratio, and artificially lowered fertility and the population replacement rate. It will be interesting to see if in 15-20 years they have enough workers to support a growing population of retirees who have a higher expectation of their standard of living.

They are also limited by the hukou household registration system. It forces people who were born in rural areas to stay in those areas or lose many of their social benefits, even if their economic prospects would be better in the city. People who defy this end up essentially being illegal immigrants in their own country, unable to find work in the legitimate economy, own property, or even send their children to school. This lowers everybody's social mobility.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I love South Park but that episode was one of their best in years. The whole Winnie the Pooh / Disney story was amazing. My favorite line was the south park? Do I own this? From Mickey with someone responding "not yet sir" The only thing that could have made that scene better is if they had cut to the simpsons family all with sad faces after that guy said not yet sir lol

Watched it tonight. It really was fantastic.

Ripped Hollywood to shreds, but my favorite part was Mickey Mouse cursing everyone out & speaking in Chinese. That & the Chinese censor repeatedly taking Stan's pencil & making edits to his work. What makes it perfect is that there's (sadly) so much truth to it. The fact South Park is now banned in China ironically proves Stone & Parker's message.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Said in best Indiana Jones voice: It BE-LONGS in a museum!

Gun that fired the first shot at the Battle of Bunker Hill up for auction