yes. election time or funding CCP via extortion or identity theft. We’re being spied on by both sides, true, but there is no even a sign of checks and balances on CCP side. In the west we do uncover some “bad behaviour” and try to stop it.
it’s a game of influence and data collection. Even when you work at McDonalds they still can use you either as data point or leverage information gathered influence/coerce you to do things on their behalf. Look at their control level in China - your behaviour is constantly monitored and your life options get limited in life if your behaviour does not align with CPP expectations. Given that lots of stuff originates in China, would you like prices online be higher for you just because you’ve criticised CCP? Or, more invasively - some content disappearing from your device while bring substituted with some form of fake news etc? Randsomware is still a vector as well. Opportunities for benefiting CCP are endless once they own key device(s) in today’s economy: your smartphone, that is used for company logon, bank operations, personal information storage. Imagine dataset they can feed AI yo simulate you and sll the fraud they can perpetrate under your name. Or they can wipe you off internet, closing your accounts pretending to be you and intercepting all communications. India and China already been proven using coercive powers to silence dissent abroad. So, no, it’s not just specific industries. It’s collective Western citizens.
There is no good strategy or good outcome with Huawei. CCP virtually controls any Chinese economic entity and has appetite for “secrets” of the West. Embracing Huawei would’ve been as bad as outcasting it. We’re at the point where I hesitate to buy most things that originated in China.
that’s "disaster capitalism (read N. Klein for full understanding of what that entails) mixed with a real sh#tty situation in Gaza that was brewing for a long time. For all I can tell selected elite (on both sides) lines their pockets nicely while people are bring brainwashed and dying on both sides. On some days I really despise humanity…
Just came across HAMAS leader openly enumerating benefactors: https://www.memri.org/tv/hamas-leader-abroad-khaled-mashal-russia-october-seven-chine-taiwan
“For your information, Russia has benefitted from our [attack], because we distracted the U.S. from them and from Ukraine. China saw [our attack] as a dazzling example. The Russians told us that what happened on October 7 would be taught in military academies. The Chinese are thinking of carrying out a plan in Taiwan, doing what the Al-Qassam Brigades did on October 7. The Arabs are giving the world a master class.”
So lets put it all in perspective. Some established facts first:
So, to me all of the above kind of adds up to: Palestine was used by everybody else to achieve goals absolutely unrelated to Palestine survival or prosperity.
If I were to make up a conspiracy theory, I’d say: Russia needed diversion real bad, they talked to their Iran buddies to stir dhit up in Gaza. Mossad snifs it out and does… nothing, opening door to unspeakable acts that followed, but also giving a pretext for “outrage” and rallying the nation against existential threat. Arab world leaders quickly jump on a familiar train of antisrmitism boosting their ratings locally and doing diddly squat to help Palestine (I mean help, not entrench them further in conflict)
In sum: both sides were comfortable sacrificing their own people (without people’s consent) to achieve political goals.
to memory comes previous anouncement of supersonic missile… which ended up being destroyed over Ukraine with reasonable degree of accuracy. So yeah, same posturing from russia but k owing what we know after (almost) 2 grueling years in Ukraine it’s just that - posturing. They failed to attract talent but they’ve succeeded in scarying or destrying talent. So their only option for technological advance is espionage. Even then they’d need high caliber specialists to replicate whatever has been stolen. What they are really “good at” is brute force and dirty tricks. But any technological superiority is off the table.
you can read experts advise as something pointed ad policymakers and manufacturers: “people can’t afford what they need to live, do something!”. What’s really annoying that city planning in NA is geared specifically for cars and not public transportation, so it’s a mess created by designers and regulators. And our governments on every level allowed them to get away with it. Now those same government structures would have to get their collective a$$es im gear and do something about the fact that people can’t afford to.live in such an environment. (that’s BEFORE we start talking overall cost of living and housing affordability). We’re really back to 20’s which factories owning dorms and allowing workers live there (for a price) basically doubly owning them: owning means of production, and means for living, really…
thank you for such a detailed response. I would love to contribute however at the moment my capacities are rather limited but otherwise I’d be willing to add sqlite adapter. From your description it sounds like currently architecture is narrowly locked on PostgreSQL features. In my daily job I love PostgreSQL for big apps and stacks but I’m also aware how “hungry” PG can be, which is why I’m wondering whether it’s “too big of a hammer” for this particular problem. Also, setting up single service is easier to novices vs maintaining several. Docker compose is nice but it has it’s limitations.
@mgdigital, first thing I’be noticed: reliance on “heavier” database stack (pg + redis), at least from the first glance at docker-compose. My suggestion would be to have an option for minimalist setup with sqlite and without redis if possible. That would work better for those of us flying with minimal hardware (rpi, old PC and such).
despite my socialist views I’m also a realist: no elected government in Canada or US would socialize real estate. None. Within current economic and political system it’s a surefire recipefor country implosion. The only feasible solution is taxing “luxury” properties and diverting that money towards subsidized/public housing. Demand outpaces supply and supply is being choked by corporations and individuals scooping up properties and not releasing them back either as rentals or for resale. Make it passable for them to sell and impossible to hold and we can bring market to some shaky equilibrium. Build more affordable housing and you may stabilize the market. There are no other options on the table as far as I know.
Best AI rant hands-down. I can agree with every word there.