fulltimestudent

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Posts by fulltimestudent

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  29

  China's New export drive - trains and rail systems

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  four or five times a week i travel on sydney's extensive suburban rail network.

  these days, most services use a train like this,.

  which are modern, double-decked, comfortable carriages.. it's not generally known that most of these train-sets (i.e.

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  fulltimestudent

  SonoftheTrinity

  you forgot Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Speaking of Ethiopia, they have a lot of similarities with China politically, Socialist in name while Fascist in practice.

  
  "Fascist" is a term that often gets used a lot without much understanding of what it means. One reasonable definition seems to be this:

  Fascists view World War I as having made liberal democracy obsolete and regard total mobilization of society led by a totalitarian single-party state as necessary for a nation to be prepared for armed conflict and to respond effectively to economic difficulties, such a totalitarian state is led by a strong leader as a dictator and a martial government composed of the members of the governing fascist party to forge national unity and maintain a stable and orderly society.

  And, of course, the definition is essentially one seen from the perspective of western (Anglosphere) liberal democracies, who glibly and rather self righteously preach 'democracy' to the world without any consideration of the real problems evident in western democracies.
  I see two major problems. The first is that governments in western democracies tend to be run by amateurs. Second, most western democracies are really semi-democracies. They tend to offer a choice to the electors, of voting for either one of two major oligarchies, who once elected ignore the wishes of the voters and run government as their own private fiefdoms. You may then think of a third problem, the fact that most of the voters do not understand the intricacies of modern political and economic problems, so that electioneering advertising is offered at a most simplistic level. When you consider those problems, you may prefer a fascist government (Joke).
  I have not studied Ethiopian politics. But I do study Chinese politics. The CPC has evolved into offering first class professional government that has succeeded in solving the problems of succession. It may be (as we outsiders study their system), that a lot of focus is currently being placed on evolving the system further to allow continual monitoring of citizen opinions on a variety or topics. This seems to be starting at the level we call local government. I recently attended a talk by a Professor from the National University of Singapore that examined four case studies of city/town level governments seeking citizen input. I cant forecast how it will turn out, but they may succeed in overcoming some of the problems that western governments are not overcoming.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  29

  China's New export drive - trains and rail systems

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  four or five times a week i travel on sydney's extensive suburban rail network.

  these days, most services use a train like this,.

  which are modern, double-decked, comfortable carriages.. it's not generally known that most of these train-sets (i.e.

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  fulltimestudent

  The second project is a heavy rail project to link the interior to the port of

  Reference: http://www.businessinsider.com.au/chinas-global-influence-is-growing-2013-3

  THE BUSINESS INSIDER AUSTRALIA.
  China's Latest Ethiopian Railway Project Shows Their Growing Global Influence
  JENNY VAUGHAN MAR 10 2013, 10:43 PM
  
  Photo: M.I.C Gadget via flickr
  Camels rather than locomotives lumber over the railway tracks in this remote desert, famously traversed by storied French adventurers Arthur Rimbaud and Henry de Monfreid in the early 20th century.The old French-built railway that connected Addis Ababa, the capital of landlocked Ethiopia, to the Red Sea port of Djibouti, is now being replaced by a Chinese-built electrified railway, a bold project that seeks to boost Ethiopia’s commercial exports.
  The new project also symbolises a shift in Ethiopia’s international relations.
  “You see nowadays that the dice are thrown differently. Chinese, Indian (and) Turkish interests are now taking over… times have changed,” said Hugues Fontaine, author of the recently published book “Un Train en Afrique”, or African Train, about the historic Ethiopian train.
  Indeed, Ethiopia is casting its dice eastward — seeking investors to help it achieve its grandiose Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), which seeks to boost economic growth and achieve middle income status by 2025.
  The construction of the railway is a key component of the GTP: a series of eight rail corridors totalling 4,744 kilometres (2,948 miles), creating a series of key trade routes to neighbouring Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan and — crucially — to Djibouti’s port.
  Two Chinese companies are contracted to build the $2.8 billion (2.15 billion euro) line connecting Addis Ababa to the Djiboutian border by 2016, and Turkish and Brazilian companies are slated to construct other segments of the nation-wide rail network.
  “We are working day and night,” said Zacharia Jemal, project manager working for the Ethiopian Railways Corporation.
  Zacharia said the project will create 5,000 local jobs, and allow Ethiopia to boost exports of key commodities such as coffee and sesame. It also offers the opportunity to get Ethiopian workers trained by engineers from the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.
  The company is building the line from Mieso to the Djibouti border at a cost of $1.2 billion (923 million euros), of which 70 per cent is financed by the Export-Import Bank of China and 30 per cent by the Ethiopian government.
  Another Chinese company will build the Addis Ababa to Mieso segment.
  While the economic benefits of the train — which will be used for both freight and passenger transport, replacing slow and costly truck transport — is widely recognised, some lament the seemingly inevitable death of the historic French-built diesel-powered train, which went out of service in 2008 after years of neglect.
  “In terms of the economy, the (new) train could be very profitable for Ethiopia, one machine could replace 10 trucks… and (maintenance) is easier and more cost-effective,” said Josef Petros, who worked for the French railway company for more than 30 years.
  But he said that if the old train ceases to operate, it will be a great loss for Ethiopia and for Dire Dawa, the commercial town in northeastern Ethiopia where the main train station and workshops were headquartered. The new station is slated to be built just outside Dire Dawa, a town renowned for its French atmosphere.
  “Dire Dawa will suffer,” said Josef, who is now the director of the French cultural centre in the city.
  The train station — known locally as “la gare” — and the workshops still stand, unused for years. Employees still arrive at work diligently just after dawn every day, only to sit among the abandoned train cars and imported French machinery, seemingly frozen in time.
  They still receive a monthly stipend from the company, which is now run by the Ethiopian government.
  They hold out hope that the diesel train will be revived one day, but the European Commission-funded project to rehabilitate the old railway at a cost of $55 million has stalled due to a contractual dispute.
  Nonetheless, the 750 employees — down from 2,000 — of the old line maintain a sense of pride at having worked for the French company. Many speak French and retain an extraordinary technical knowledge of the ancient trains.
  “When you worked for the train, you were considered to be a very important person,” said Josef. “If you had a son or a brother working for the railways, the whole family was very proud of this.”
  It brought many employees a sense of pride — in addition to a generous salary — to work for the French on a train that was conceived by Ethiopia’s first modern patriarch, emperor Menelik, who pursued the ambitious rail project to introduce modernity in Ethiopia, boost economic productivity and show the world “that the Ethiopian state was something to be considered seriously”, according to Fontaine.
  Similarly, the new electric train will launch Ethiopia into a modern era of rail transport. It will be one of the first electric trains in East Africa, will run at a speed of 120 kilometres an hour and will be both easier and cheaper to maintain, as it will be mechanised and rely on locally-produced hydropower to run.
  It’s also a source of pride for the workers involved in boosting development and contributing to Ethiopia’s industrialising economy.
  “It is good to be involved in this nationalistic project, it’s historic,” said project manager Zacharia, driving to a building site for the new train where Chinese men in hard hats show Ethiopian workers how to use Chinese-imported excavators.
  But whether the legacy of the Chinese in Ethiopia will have as strong an imprint as the French remains to be seen. Unlike the French, Chinese workers will not settle in Ethiopia permanently, and the cultural exchanges are limited to simple greetings exchanged in Mandarin between Chinese and Ethiopian workers.
  “This influence will stay on in history, but it will not be as significant,” said Josef.
  Copyright (2013) AFP. All rights reserved.

  
  
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  29

  China's New export drive - trains and rail systems

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  four or five times a week i travel on sydney's extensive suburban rail network.

  these days, most services use a train like this,.

  which are modern, double-decked, comfortable carriages.. it's not generally known that most of these train-sets (i.e.

  1. 
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• 

  fulltimestudent

  SonoftheTrinity5 hours ago

  you forgot Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Well, so I did - thnx for pointing that out! Actually there are two Chinese rail projects in Ethopia
  The first is a light rail system with two intersecting lines, in the capital:
  

  Addis Ababa’s rail project keeps Ethiopia on track for transformation

  Although there will be shortfalls in the country’s infrastructure programme, the railway will be an impressive achievement
  
  Addis Ababa’s $475m light railway system, part of a five-year growth plan, covers a 21-mile stretch through the Ethiopian capital. Photograph: Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty
  Out of the dust and rubble of decimated junctions, soaring slabs of concrete are returning a semblance of order to the centre of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s mushrooming capital.
  The edifices are there to prop up Africa’s first light rail system, an arresting sign of Ethiopia’s progress since the dark days of famine and military rule (pdf) in the 1980s. The government hopes the project, funded and built by China, will be running next year – possibly in time to transport voters to polling booths at national elections in May.

  
  The $475m (£295m) electrified rail is one of many projects in an ambitious five-year growth and transformation plan that ends in July. Although there will be shortfalls in the Soviet-style strategy based more on aspiration than expectation, the rail is set to be an impressive achievement by a nation desperate to shed its tag as a poster child of poverty.

  There's more - read it if you want at: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/oct/22/addis-ababa-monorail-ethiopia-on-track

  ===================================================================

  China-funded Light Rail Project Puts Ethiopia on Track for Transformation.

  
  

  

  

  Reference: http://english.cri.cn/12394/2015/02/08/3801s865446.htm

  
  

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  13

  Which school of thought is right about How long were the Israelite's in Egypt 215 or 430 years?

  by terrypike in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  a lot is out there about how long the israelite's were in egypt which can be devided into two schools of thought, those for bishop ushers 215 model or the ex 12: model which stays faithful to the 430 years to the very day ex 12:41 the israelite's left egypt.. historically the dispute goes back a long way at least to the time of jophesus who advocated the view that the isarelites were in canaan before they entered egypt true enough when taken at face value, but look more closely at what the bible says about when jacobs name was changed to israel and then ask the question is there any evidence in the bible that israel was used for the decendent's of abram, isaac or jacob before god changed the name of 97 year old jacob to israel?

  a jw i invited to research this confirmed none could be found so that done it remains to look again at the definitions 'decendents' and 'israelite's' to further clarify.. the 400 years affliction as in gen 15: speaks of the decendents of abram only, nowhere does it say anything about the israelites, ex 12: on the other hand refers to the israelite's who came out of egypt 430 years to the very day and says nothing about the decendent's of abram so ex 12: is referring to 'israel' the decendent's of jacob not the decendent's of abram.

  consider here that isaac the first born of the line of the promise and a decendent of abraham, died 180 years of age never having set foot in egypt, 10 years before 130 year old jacob/israel entered to reunite the tribal family's as one people, so by no stretch of the imagination can isaac be confused with the israelite's as is so easy to do when the ex 12: 430 year timeline is tied back to the days of abraham as is advocated by the bishop usher model that argues the israelite's were only in egypt 215 years.. gal 3: can be a problem only when read in isolation of other texts, use the same procedure as you would if someone said there was a contradiction with the gospels saying different things and ask them to read all four gospels to get the full picture, like wise with gal 3: which appears to be saying, by itself, that there are only 430 years between the circumcision covenant and the law covenant , read gen 47: and acts 7: to get a more complete picture of what paul has not said about 130 year old jacob's entry into egypt in the second year of famine.. to get the age of jacob start with 30 year old josephs age when he stood before the ruler of egypt and add the 9 year total of 7 years plenty plus two years famine which makes joseph 39, then take josephs 39 years off the age of 130 year old jacob to get 91 the age of jacob when joseph is born as jacob completes his 7 years work with laban for rachael.. jacob then agreed to work on for the beasts and he confirms he had worked a total of 20 years when laban caught up with him: 7 for leah, 7 for rachael, and 6 for the beasts.gen 31:38-41.. the key question when talking with jw's is how old was jacob when his name was changed, ask the questions and let them confirm from the book they trust what it really teaches.. terry.

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  fulltimestudent

  Half bananaa day ago

  According to Egyptian records the Israelites never were in their land en masse. Since the land of the Canaan was near Egypt, for generations they had sought work as paid labourers or went to market their meat or olives at Goshen in the north east .
  It must be remembered that the Israelites lived very much in the political and economic shadow of their neighbour. Egypt influenced almost everything they did and believed (and therefore the Bible too). There had been a time when Canaanite (Semite) influence had been present in Egypt during the Hyksos period but this was back in the early Bronze Age before the Israelites or Jews arose and it seems that the biblical captivity and Exodus stories are a folk memory reworking of this earlier event. The story was vital propaganda to Judaic nationalism since it upholds symbolically the nation’s escape from Egyptian authority.

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  To add to Half banana's comments, consider the areas controlled by the Egyptians at various times in world history:

  (Being very busy at the moment-New semester and all that!!! grin! - I've just grabbed these maps off the web, follow them up if you really want to understand that the Bible is just Israelite/Jewish nationalist stories (propaganda) used to explain why they (who had the only true god) were always being defeated by other nations (who all had false gods) ).

  Note: 15th Century BCE

  

  Note: and down to the 12th century BCE.>

  

  The two important empires down to the Battle of Kadesh (circa 1274 BCE)>

  
  

  The Battle of Kadesh (also Qadesh) took place between the forces of the Egyptian Empire under Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under Muwatalli II at the city of Kadesh on the Orontes River, in what is now Syria.[10]
  The battle is generally dated to 1274 BC,[11] and is the earliest battle in recorded history for which details of tactics and formations are known.[12] It was probably the largest chariot battle ever fought, involving perhaps 5,000–6,000 chariots

  Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kadesh

  

  Ramesses atop chariot, at the battle of Kadesh. (A Relief inside his Abu Simbel temple.)

  
  

  The Assyrian Empire *824 BCE to 625 BCE

  
  
  
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  2

  Rent-a-boyfriend (or, girl-friend) for Chinese New Year

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  the spring festival (also called chinese new year) is one of the biggest annual festivals in the world.

  families try to re-unite which often means that people whose life-styles are diverging from that of their parents must try to reconcile their lives with hometown tradition.. so arises a new occupation: the boyfriend (or girlfriend) for hire:.

  china central televison america explains this to americans:.

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  fulltimestudent

  The twist of the satirical knife though, comes right at the end. The chunyun visit home has been a success, the hired boyfriend has completed his oscar standard performance and charmed Mum, Dad and little brother. And so the 'happy couple' return to big-city life.

  As he's paid off, the hired boyfriend asks the girl to have dinner with him. He's turned down with a very cold, "Get out of the car."

  And, so the real social problem of life in modern China is highlighted, the so-called "dry branches," over 100,000,000 surplus men who will never find an available woman to marry.

  See: http://www.diplomaticourier.com/news/regions/brics/191-china-s-barren-branches
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  2

  Rent-a-boyfriend (or, girl-friend) for Chinese New Year

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  the spring festival (also called chinese new year) is one of the biggest annual festivals in the world.

  families try to re-unite which often means that people whose life-styles are diverging from that of their parents must try to reconcile their lives with hometown tradition.. so arises a new occupation: the boyfriend (or girlfriend) for hire:.

  china central televison america explains this to americans:.

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  fulltimestudent

  But today's China being what today's China is, the sharp eyes of Chinese social satirists soon saw the potential to have some fun with the concept.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hdA-Wd-b9M#t=369
  
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  2

  Rent-a-boyfriend (or, girl-friend) for Chinese New Year

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  the spring festival (also called chinese new year) is one of the biggest annual festivals in the world.

  families try to re-unite which often means that people whose life-styles are diverging from that of their parents must try to reconcile their lives with hometown tradition.. so arises a new occupation: the boyfriend (or girlfriend) for hire:.

  china central televison america explains this to americans:.

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  fulltimestudent

  The Spring Festival (also called Chinese New Year) is one of the biggest annual festivals in the world. Families try to re-unite which often means that people whose life-styles are diverging from that of their parents must try to reconcile their lives with hometown tradition.

  So arises a new occupation: the boyfriend (or girlfriend) for hire:

  China Central Televison America explains this to Americans:

  Growing number of Chinese women “renting” boyfriends for New Year’s
  
  February 23, 2015
  A growing trend in China is the sale of fake boyfriend rental services, particularly on China’s largest online marketplace, Taobao. Many young women are buying these services as a way to stave off marriage pressure from their parents.
  Unmarried female migrants returning home to celebrate Chinese New Year, often face reprimands from extended family members about their unmarried status. For many women in China, if they’re not married by the time they’re 30, they are considered old maids, or they could also face gossip for being abnormal.

  
  To prevent such a reaction, many rent a boyfriend for the Chinese New Year for anywhere from 1,000 RMB ($160) to 10,000 RMB($1,599) a day, men put their companionship up for sale. Romantic “extras” — such as holding hands, going to the movies, cuddling, — cost extra, according to a Foreign Affairs report.
  According to report, there are an estimated seven million unmarried women between the ages of 25-34 in urban areas in China. Around seven percent of highly-educated women won’t be married until they are 45.

  
  Link: http://www.cctv-america.com/2015/02/23/growing-number-of-chinese-women-renting-boyfriends-for-new-years#ixzz3SmeuqnXJ
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  12

  Does the NT condemn/outlaw polygamy for christians?

  by Island Man in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  yes, we all know that, according to the bible, god originally established a union between one man and one woman - adam and eve.

  however, later in the ot we see that polygamy started being practiced and god permitted it and later even gave laws to regulate it.

  so in the ot god does not condemn polygamy and israelites practiced it.. fast foward to the nt.

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  fulltimestudent

  Jesus was a Jew and never denied his Jewish heritage. The oldest group of Christians had a Jewish background and, it seems, continued to think of themselves as a sect/group of Jews. It may have taken one hundred or more years for the two groups to see themselves as separate.  

  Possibly the next oldest group of Christians that we know of were in Antioch, where it seems there may already have been some divergence from the concepts that were held in common in the Jerusalem-Temple congregation.

  Besides the OT, specifically the Septuagint version of the OT, the letters attributed to Paul seem to have been the first documents that were assigned a sacred value by the early Christians, so we can imagine we are seeing the adjustments that were necessary for the Jewish/Christian sect to expand in the Roman Mediterranean world,

  Contrary to common thought, Christianity in the pagan world did not appeal to the lowest levels of society, a close reading of the Pauline documents shows that key people in the early Pauline churches had large households (family and slaves) and were wealthy enough to be able to travel or send members of their household on errands for Paul. Paul (and Barnabas) had associates who also had to be provided for. The key people in early gentile Christianity therefore were people of some substance

  The Pauline texts that Island Man quotes, set standards of conduct. It would be a grave mistake to think that the idea of setting standards was an idea that sprang from the mind of Paul or one of his associates. Already in common circulation,  among the social classes that were taking the lead in early gentile Christianity, were documents that have come to be called, "household codes."  The Oxford Biblical Studies (i.e. from Oxford University) Online defines these household codes as: 

  household codes
  Translation of the German Haustafeln, used by commentators for a literary type developed for ethical instruction in the Hellenistic world, adopted by Jewish Hellenistic synagogues, and thence by the NT (Col. 3: 18–4: 1, but also Eph. 5: 22–6: 9; 1 Tim. 2: 9–15; Titus 2: 2–10; 1 Pet. 2: 13–3: 7). The codes were an attempt by leaders of the Christian community to establish a pattern of family and social life not unlike that of traditional families among Gentile and Jewish contemporaries in the Graeco-Roman world. The patriarchal style represents a reaction against the egalitarian organization of the earliest Church in Jerusalem (Acts 2: 44–7) and is remarkable for the absence of Paul's radical teaching against sexual discrimination (Gal. 3: 28).
  Reference: http://www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com/article/opr/t94/e912

  So the behaviour standards set for the early Christians reflect those codes with some small adjustments to reflect Jewish (OT) standards.

  Hence the answer to my feeble attempt at riddling, should be looked for in the Roman world - not the Judeao-Christian world. So what's the answer to my riddle of which GOD commanded monogamy?

  Not Yahweh, Not Jesus. But the most popular, the most important God (with the power of literal life and death to all inhabitants of the area) who commanded monogamy ....

  was the Divine Caesar Augustus.

  
  
• 
  3

  Chinese Landscapes transformed by winter and its snow

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  i do not have much experience of winter, that is a real winter with snow and ice.

  here in sydney there's not much difference visually.

  the imported deciduous trees still shed their leaves, and there is less color (flowers) but that's about it.

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  fulltimestudent

  I do not have much experience of winter, that is a REAL winter with snow and ice. Here in Sydney there's not much difference visually. The imported deciduous trees still shed their leaves, and there is less color (flowers) but that's about it. I've only seen snow once or twice in my life. I could, of course, go to the hill areas near Canberra and experience the changes that winter snows bring to the landscape. So possibly, that's the fascination (for me). Landscapes lose their familiar appearance and are transformed.

  It must have been a similar experience for these Singaporean tourists, hiking the Great wall in winter as the colours of the landscape are muted by the winter dieback and mists

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQE4p2jjOik

  
  

  and after a snow fall the scene changes again

  
  

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rJy3G1JGhA
  

  
  

  
  
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  12

  Does the NT condemn/outlaw polygamy for christians?

  by Island Man in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  yes, we all know that, according to the bible, god originally established a union between one man and one woman - adam and eve.

  however, later in the ot we see that polygamy started being practiced and god permitted it and later even gave laws to regulate it.

  so in the ot god does not condemn polygamy and israelites practiced it.. fast foward to the nt.

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  fulltimestudent

  My wife says its not allowed so that's decided then 

  (Another grin!) - Even my GAYXJW's partner says NO! to him.

  Island Man - That was an excellent analysis.

  But here's a riddle (or, I think it is) - Which God commanded monogamy?