I'm not saying that the Chinese government is being ethical by me posting this, but you did ask, (granted in a rhetorical manner)… And I am playing devil's advocate here.

Perhaps the Chinese government never forgot nor forgave certain Western nations for trying to weaken their national power by creating a country full of opium addicts, and when the Chinese fought back and lost the Opium Wars, certain Western nations, (the U.S. was one of those nations), took the opportunity to carve up their country and made sections of the nation into their own little properties.

China didn't become a complete sovereign nation again until the British relinquished Hong Kong back to China back in the mid to late 80's.

You know that movie with Jet Li in it called "Fearless"? That movie had some basis on a real life martial artist in China, named Huo Yuanjia, during the time when China was carved up into sections. China experienced racism in their own homeland from foreigners, and that was real.

There's a lot they can be pissed about, just sayin'.

Of course, if the above isn't it, then maybe the Chinese government just saw a good business opportunity they couldn't pass up. Just like how corporate America saw big business opportunities in China, (in particular, oh, McDonald's comes to mind). We all know full well what this kind of eating habit is doing to the US.

Just for the record, fast food chains going into China is going to destroy that nation's health care system and economy in the long run, and nobody's crying wolf over this.

Like I said, just showing the other side of the coin. It is bothersome. But hey, after all that I mentioned, is it any surprise that the US is getting a kick in the groin? Knowing a little bit about history, I'm not terribly surprised.

I'm not expecting this post to be popular with anybody, but like I said, "the other side of the coin" looks pretty dark doesn't it?

Once a fight has started, who started it is a matter for lawyers and judges. The actual partipants are best served by winning the fight. Sadly those who craft our foreign policy no longer understand this.

Might does not necessarily always make right. That was what started this mess to begin with.

Although it is true; this matter has gone beyond diplomacy.

If someone pokes someone in the eye, the reaction is to floor them. It's a vicious cycle.

You're talking about China - a country that has been around since over 2,000 B.C. and was an empire in Asia in its golden days.

And then you have the United States - a 200+ year old country that is still somewhat of an empire, but not as much as it was a few decades ago, but has been a world power-player for the last 100+ years.

And then, fill in the blanks with all the whatever you have in the history books. There's a heaping ton of pride going on in both party's houses. It's not going to be pretty.

It'll only end when both parties put their fists down. I realistically don't know when that'll ever happen. A pissing match between two powerful nations, to me, is a tragedy.

I think the US government really needs to overhaul its foreign relations policies and attempt to work with other countries more, to talk to them and understand their culture, history and the why. Technology has made the world small and working together is the best way to make it a good, happy place. It is much better to be in a small place with friends than with enemies. And, we could accomplish so much if we worked together!

---------- Post added at 11:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 AM ----------

We have been having pretty mild winters. Even when we have had colder temperatures, they did not stay for very long. The winter of 2013-2014 was not my favorite. I lost a bunch of herbs that I had planted 20 years ago, along with my roses. The peach tree, thankfully, bounced back but, of course, no peaches. I kept hoping some of the 'lost' herbs would reappear (seed, from root) but it looks as if I will have to put in an order spring of 2015 with Companion Plants. :|

Might in and of itself never makes right. However history has shown that it does make the world a generally more peaceful place. In all of recorded history, the periods which saw the least international strife were invariably the times when one country was powerful enough to dictate terms to the rest of the world. See "Pax Romana" and "Pax Brittanica". Personally I'd rather not see China in that position.

Hey everyone!
It looks like it has been a while since this thread has been added to, but I need to tantrum a while......
I look at the rainforests being decimated by illegal (or at least illicit) logging and slash-and-burn for farming land and I can't decide - cry or scream???
I know this is REALLY selfish, but I wonder the amount of undiscovered orchids that are now gone forever, after having taken million of years to evolve into their present (now past) form.....and I have to admit - I wonder how many I would have had success with in my home.
This is not a political post and I do not wish to start such, but it is something that will affect everyone of us, regardless of our political or apolitical beliefs. What if one of those orc's or another plant or animal could cure AIDS, cure cancer, relieve the suffering of depression once and for all? Or what if they were totally useless for medical needs, but just ornamental and now will never give someone that thrill-chill that I have had when I find an unknown, but intriguing bloom?
My father once blasted me for expressing such a sentiment (this was in the '80's); he stated that if it came between a pretty plant and feeding his family he would choose the food source every time. I can relate to what he was saying, but I would give a good fee to someone for leading me on a tour of such areas to see those "pretty plants". Eco-tourism has proven to provide a sustainable way of life for many in the world, rather than a short-term farm plot, as agriculturalists will tell you that rainforest land is very shallow in it's nutrients and in a few years time you have to burn more forest to have fertile ground to plant in.
I see the pics in magazine and on the news about the massive acreage that is going up in flames and "tantrum" does not begin to describe my feelings.
What it the answer? I wish I knew. But this is a post about frustration and topics that bring out the rage in us, and this is one of the most disheartening realities I know of.
Well, that is just a drop in the bucket for my anger over this, but it does help to share some....or I hope it will.
Thanks for reading, hope someone has a workable solution for the world in general.
Bye for now.

Tantrum this morning (aka: me blowing smoke out of a gnat's rear end)... was abruptly awakened by a phone call, from my old school dedicated landline. Head was still in that cloud-9 sleep state. I say hello, and then I hear "your car warranty is getting ready to expire". Hell, my car warranty expired 10 years ago. Hung up the phone and it rings again... I pick up and say hello... then I hear "this is a message from Amazon about your package". What the hey, I don't even do Amazon, and I sure the hell don't have a package coming from them.

Use to enjoy answering the phone in the past. It was a fun tool for having conversations with other normal human beings. My phone has now transformed into a tool for the bottom-feeders, predators, and con-artists. Worse, it's turned into a daily event.

Another stick in the craw... calling a company to square away a problem (which is usually created by that company, and not by me). Your call goes through... you get that automated-artificial-intelligence thing... if you know the extension of the party you are calling... please listen carefully to the following options on the menu (and that goes on for 10 minutes)... and then: "for all other questions, and to speak with an operator, push zero now". Finally, a human being answers and says: Please wait, I'm going to put you on hold... 15 minutes later a human voice comes back on the line and says: how can I help you? Go figure. Something that should have taken 2 minutes at best, took almost half an hour.

My phone sits next to a desktop PC that I use occasionally (Microsoft windows). I probably spend more time doing updates on that computer than anything else. Fired up the PC after the annoying phone calls this morning, and once again: 'update time'. Then a message appears: this PC doesn't currently meet all the system requirements for Windows 11. Crap, here we go again. Been there, done that - Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10. Looks like (just maybe) a forced switch to Apple (with the latest newest & greatest money pit) from my end, in 2025.

Coffee finally perked and is ready to go. One cup in... the foul mood is disappearing, My world is starting to come back into focus. I start humming that old Beatles song... it's just another day, du du du du du du, it's just another day. Oh crap, the phone is ringing again.

Copy your data files onto a peripheral hard drive. Install Mint Linux, wiping and overwriting the Windows hard drive.

Agreed! I use it and only update things when I decde to. And no Microsoft anything on my computer!

i feel you!!!!

the phone is a weapon and a leash and there is very little more annoying than a computer update

on a brighter note, you have orchids