From: Lucian Mogosanu Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2017 14:54:36 +0000 (+0300) Subject: posts: 065, 066 X-Git-Tag: v0.10~11 X-Git-Url: https://git.mogosanu.ro/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=e6cc63083c0d5d672cbe45fbe35ea21fd1637bdf;p=thetarpit.git posts: 065, 066 --- diff --git a/posts/y04/065-eu-at-the-end.markdown b/posts/y04/065-eu-at-the-end.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cd29e43 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/y04/065-eu-at-the-end.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,252 @@ +--- +postid: 065 +title: The European Union at the end: a chronicle +date: September 22, 2017 +author: Lucian Mogoșanu +tags: asphalt +--- + +Euronews informs us[^1]: + +> *Is Romania ready to deal with its rising migrant numbers?* +> +> Migrants have been crossing the Black Sea to Romania in increasing +> numbers. +> +> On Tuesday night a small boat carrying 157 migrants from Iraq and Iran +> was found off the Romanian coast. +> +> Three days before, the coast guard had intercepted a rickety boat with +> 97 migrants on board, 36 of them children. + +So the new route to Europe has become the Black Sea, via ramshackle +boat. But wait, there's more! + +> On September 3rd another fishing boat carrying 87 migrants was stopped +> by the border police. +> +> These are just the latest in a series of search and rescue missions, +> which saw over the last month 480 migrants reaching the Romanian +> shoreline. +> +> Migrants took the 200-km-long journey across the perilous Black Sea, +> igniting fears that Turkish smugglers are opening up a new route for +> illegal entry into the European Union. + +Reviewing our [last chronicle][eu-2015], we recall that the previous +preferred route of refugee (and/or "refugee") hordes was via the +Mediterranean, i.e. from Turkey to Greece or Bulgaria -- but mainly +Greece -- then Serbia, then Hungary or Croatia, then the sky's the +limit. More importantly though, the destination is usually Germany, +whether EU bureaucrat derps formally relocate them to Hungary (pro-tip: +they don't), Poland (pro-tip: they don't) or Switzerland -- pro-tip: +they do on their own terms, and beaucoup de lulz ensues. Anyway, moving +on. + +> The route has been used modesty in the past -- just one person in 2016 +> according to statistics from the European Border and Coast Guard +> Agency (Frontex). + +But modesty has been used quite immodestly. + +> Migrants entering Romania by boat are taken to a hosting area and held +> for up to 48 hours in order to verify their identity. If they don’t +> request political asylum, those caught at sea are returned to +> Turkey. Once the background check is completed, the immigration office +> steps in, sending asylum seekers to various centres across the +> country. +> +> Besides receiving basic amenities, asylum seekers get three euros per +> day for food and almost 40 euros annually for clothing. + +Let's do a bit of math. 3€ is about 13-14 units in the local currency +(lei). 14 lei per day amounts to 420 lei per month, which is more than +what many elder Romanians get for their pension, after decades of +bleeding and sweating for the [ol' regime][july-theses]. So despite what +the average Westerner might think, 3€ per day for food is more than a +generous giveaway. *More* than. + +> The average waiting time for an asylum application to be resolve is +> about 10 months and asylum decisions are open to lawsuits. + +Then again, most actions pertaining to the local authorities last about +ten months. Romanian bureaucracy, what can I say. + +> In the first seven months of this year, 2,800 people were caught +> illegally crossing the border, up from 1,624 for the whole of 2016, +> according to the Romanian Border Police. +> +> A spokesperson for the force told Euronews the increase is limited in +> comparison to other parts of Europe but that authorities had scaled up +> efforts to better secure and monitor the frontiers. +> +> The rising number of people trying to illegally enter Romania could +> signal a shift in the routes migrants use to get into the EU. + +Thank you, Captain Obvious. + +> Romania isn’t part of the Schengen Area making it harder for migrants +> to move westwards. +> +> But that could all change. Jean Claude Juncker, president of the +> European Commission, used his State of the Union address this week to +> call for Romania and Bulgaria to be part of Schengen. + +Oh, really? Romanians [moved this item off][priority] the list of +priorities about four years ago, give or take. Meanwhile, random +bureaucrat derp imagines himself in the position of giving said +Romanians the so-called benefit of "Schengen", when all this time said +Romanians have shown to be doing very well without it. Gee, thanks but +no thanks, Mr. Juncker. + +> So far, Romania has been unscathed by the refugee crisis affecting +> other European countries, acting more as a transit passage for +> migrants trying to reach Western Europe. + +And why would that be? For one, however welcoming they suppose +themselves, Romanians are deeply conservative creatures, for centuries +orthodox Christians. Then, the countries whence so-called "immigrant +terrorists" are coming don't have any particular bone to pick with +Romanians, despite the latter's continuing sucking off of NATO. The +people in this geographical region have had about half a millenium of +experience in dealing with Muslims; so fancy yourselves multicultural +much? + +> Pressured by the EU, Romania has recently agreed to receive 2,000 +> refugees from Greece and Italy. +> +> “This comes on top of the 700 refugees already relocated here,” added +> Romania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs. +> +> Despite the political move, questions remain over the country’s +> readiness to welcome refugees and brave a possible influx of migrants. +> +> Speaking to Euronews, a representative of the Immigration Office, put +> the total capacity of Romania’s six asylum centers at around 1,330, +> with the possibility of adding additional bed facilities. +> +> The news site Digi 24 went to a Bucharest receiving centre currently +> housing 200 refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Egypt and +> reported on the living conditions found there. +> +> The worn-out linoleum flooring and damp patches on interior walls, +> leave room for improvement, it reported. + +Aha! So the *actual* story goes along the lines of: Gigi invites a +random stranger, Ali, in his house, to stay a while; Ali isn't +interested in staying much: er nicht sprech rumänisch, and besides, +there's other places with better loot (though fewer beautiful women to +fuck); meanwhile, one of Gigi's neighbours, Hans, elected the town mayor +or whatever, complains to Gigi that his house "leaves room for +improvement" and that Ali wouldn't be satisfied with his stay. What the +actual fuck? Seriously now: Romanian officials kindly invite +Mr. Juncker, Mrs. Merkel and all their pantsuit friends to host the +refugees wherever they want, on their own fucking money. + +> But this asylum facility, as well as the remaining five scattered +> across Romania, will quickly become overcrowded if a refugee surge +> were to happen. + +Romania has bigger problems at the moment. The hospitals are overcrowded +with ill people, the streets in the few big cities are overcrowded with +cars, the rail infrastructure is decaying, the national roads aren't +much better and the local social-democrat government isn't doing much to +help -- by which I mean, it seems to be trying its best to plunge +everyone into deep shit. + +So. Romania has bigger problems at the moment. + +> Putting up tents in the courtyards of asylum centers as a way of +> doubling housing capabilities is the authorities' only response so +> far. + +And since we're here, putting up tents in open spaces would be the +authorities' only response to a potential (and not at all improbable) 7+ +Richter earthquake taking place in the Vrancea region -- nine eleven, +nine eleven, remember nineteen seventy-seven. What do? + +Now that we've introduced ourselves straight into the subject by +dissecting this very informative news article, let's take a bit of time +recounting the olds. + +The Roman Empire reached its peak extent at the beginning of the second +century AD, during Trajan's reign, one of the last regions annexed being +Dacia, which incidentally overlaps much of today's territory of +Romania. Moreover, the Roman Empire extended to the east as far as Asia +Minor and the Arabic Peninsula, and to the south as far as northern +Africa, including today's Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, etc. This state of +affairs did not last long: by the end of the third century, Aurelian +evacuated Dacia Traiana under various (mostly internal) pressures. By +the end of the fourth century, the Roman Empire was split in two pieces +and by its end the Germanic barbars -- or were they the barbaric +Germans? -- were left to rule the Western ruins, while the Byzantines +were left to preserve whatever they could (culturally, intellectually, +economically, etc.) given the times. + +Now let us again return to present-day empires. Romania joined the EU in +2007; the EU reached its peak extent in 2013, with Croatia's +adherence. Romania, Bulgaria and Greece however host the eastern border, +and will likely continue to do so for the time being, since there is +little to no interest from Turkey to join the party. What next? + +Of course, history is not cyclical. You're a special snowflake and all, +living in special times, and just because you say it's so, then that +makes it so -- big words make history, you see. + +At some point, the Romans reached a cultural, technological, etc. peak +and then made the mistake of diluting and inflating their culture, +technology, etc., which led to a natural dissolution; the EUians also +reached a cultural, technological, etc. peak and then made the mistake +of diluting and inflating their culture, technology, etc., which -- +naturally! -- will not lead to any sort of dissolution, mais au +contraire, more and more progress! + +Moreover, at some point the Roman Empire started to crumble under the +weight of [lack-of-culture-as-insecurity][security], as displayed by +whatever hordes -- conquered or conquering -- started to wreak havoc +around the place, and as a result the orcs were left to, as previously +mentioned, rule the ruins; the EU Empire is also burdened by the +pressure of whatever hordes -- conquered, and conquering -- started to +wreak havoc around various places[^2], who -- naturally! -- won't wreak +havoc in the EU, which they appreciate with all their hearts[^3]. + +May your ass be safe while all these things don't not not happen. The +irony of it being that the inept Romanians might end up in the role of +non-preservers of non-Imperial non-culture, non-intellect, non-economy, +etc., given their generally byzantine approach to things. + +[^1]: [Original link][euronews] and [archived][euronews-archived]. The + archived article is broken at the moment, in that the text is + missing; and given that news sites usually suck donkey balls, I + don't trust that the original link will be up for long. So I guess + I'll just have to paste the whole thing here. + +[^2]: Never forget: there are now [historical monuments][palmyra] that + you'll only see in photos. Good thing we still have photos, eh? + +[^3]: They won't, will they? Well, let's take just + [an example][brussels] of how not-wreaking-havoc looks in the EU. + + Oh, and by the way, don't think that you're safe just because you + live on the other side of the Atlantic. You're not. [Examples][lee] + there are [plenty][shakespeare], you just have to open your eyes a + bit and look around you. + + Speaking of which, this orcishness has absolutely nothing to do with + race, religion, gender and other subjects in fashion nowadays, or + whatever subjects were or will be in fashion in your day. The only + distinction is that in one part of the Western Empire the orcs are + mostly imported, while in the remaining part they are mostly + cultivated. Which one's which? This is left as an exercise to the + reader. + +[euronews]: http://www.euronews.com/2017/09/16/is-romania-ready-to-deal-with-its-rising-migrant-numbers +[euronews-archived]: http://archive.is/pLtLL +[eu-2015]: /posts/y02/040-europe-at-the-end-of-2015.html +[july-theses]: /posts/y03/05a-july-theses.html +[priority]: http://trilema.com/2013/no-seriously-not-much-of-a-priority-anymore/ +[security]: /posts/y02/04a-on-security.html +[palmyra]: http://archive.is/NiShu +[lee]: http://archive.is/d4PQz +[shakespeare]: http://archive.is/3luFh +[brussels]: http://archive.is/Obh1s diff --git a/posts/y04/066-samurai-jack.markdown b/posts/y04/066-samurai-jack.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ab4d8cc --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/y04/066-samurai-jack.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,104 @@ +--- +postid: 066 +title: Samurai Jack +date: October 1, 2017 +author: Lucian Mogoșanu +tags: video +--- + +

+*Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shapeshifting Master of Darkness, +unleashed an unspeakable evil! +But a foolish Samurai warrior, wielding a magic sword, stepped forth to oppose me. +Before the final blow was struck, +I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future, where my evil is law! +Now the fool seeks to return to the past, +and undo the future that is Aku!*

+ +Samurai Jack is a -- successful, I believe -- attempt at full-blown +Western anime. + +The TV show, created by Genndy Tartakovsky, the same guy who wrote +Dexter's Laboratory[^1] and directed Hotel Transylvania[^2], has the +main advantage of being conceived back in the day when one could still +ignore the whole "gender issues" and "diversity" nonsense without +drawing ire from the [offended][offending]. Yes, in the Samurai Jack +universe, the "regressive" past is infinitely more desirable than the +future -- who could have thought! + +The premise of the story, recounted in the first two episodes, is a mix +between a Japanese fairy tale and a Gibson/Dick-esque dystopian science +fiction thing. Emperor meets evil Aku, defeats it; evil comes back, +however; thus Emperor sends his son into hiding[^3], to learn the +cultures of the world and become a fierce warrior; son grows to be a +powerful samurai, rescues his parents and battles evil; Aku, before +being defeated, uses his powers to cast the samurai into a future where +Aku rules the world. Thus the whole plot is centered around our Jack's +attempt at returning to the past to undo all of Aku's evils. + +A few comments on the main protagonist. The samurai, having just arrived +to the so-called future, is a nameless creature, Jack being only an +arbitrary slave name. In fact, Jack is the archetypal warrior-slave, +very much reminding us of Spartacus. In contrast to his name, his +abilities are unique: he has a knack for survival under the direst of +circumstances, when and where all the odds are against him. His only +inability (at least in the original four seasons) seems to remain that +of returning "back to the past", which, we have to agree, is altogether +a dubious idea. + +Moreover, the links to the oh-so-desirable past are a recurring theme of +Samurai Jack, many of the episodes being nostalgic memories of Jack's +childhood. This is ultimately what keeps the samurai going, standing as +a reminder that our perennial traditions are a necessary ingredient in +the road to [becoming human][humanity]. This aspect, in spite of what +the reader may think, is not at all a matter of choice, but of honour, +life and death. As the scenes in season five illustrate, the warrior who +fails to adhere to Bushidō must unite with his sword via seppuku. + +That being said, I am more or less satisfied with the conclusion that +Tartakovsky decided to add to the first four seasons: Jack finds himself +then finds the necessary ingredient to defeat Aku, that being in a quite +romantic fashion love. However, Jack doesn't know that by defeating Aku +he would also lose his love, which puts the whole "gain some, lose some" +karmic thing into balance. + +To add to the list of disorganised thoughts about the show: don't be +confused by the whole "absolute evil" mumbo-jumbo. Aku is in fact a +fellow with a decent sense of humour, who doesn't give much of a fuck; +and would you, were you wielding his power? To add to this layered cake +of humour, we witness in this show that evil fails first and foremost +because evil is stupid. + +This being maybe the take-away idea[^4] of Samurai Jack: evil is stupid, +and disintegrating it is any warrior's duty. + +[^1]: The boy genius trope seemed fashionable back when I was a kid. I + have no idea whether this is factually so, I just enjoyed the hell + out of it. And yes, I bugged my folks to get me [LEGO][legos] toys! + +[^2]: I watched this a couple of years ago and didn't bother to review + it, which means it most probably fits into the pattern of useless + [Hollywoodian][abrams] crap. + +[^3]: Surprisingly Christian this little bit, innit? + +[^4]: In case you've been wondering, this whole "take-away"/"in a + nutshell" modern fashion, as applied to the world of ideas, is a + preposterous anti-intellectual piece of shit thought pattern, and + its proponents are more than welcome to rot in the depths of hell + for suggesting it. + + No, there is no "take-away idea" or "X in a nutshell". Simplicity as + an inherent attribute is important, yes, but this attribute is + pointedly distinct from simplisticism, i.e. overly simplifying ideas + for the sake of keeping them -- or making them -- simple. The main + advantage of Knowledge (with a Kapital K!) is that it can be + deconstructed into simple, i.e. atomic bits, but those bits being + simple does not a. make the whole simple and neither does it b. make + the act of contemplation of said bits simple. Keep this in mind, + lest I swing my magic sword at you, will you now? + +[abrams]: /posts/y00/011-star-trek-into-darkness.html +[legos]: http://btcbase.org/log/2017-08-19#1701125 +[offending]: /posts/y01/037-charlie-hebdo.html +[humanity]: /posts/y01/032-your-worth-to-humanity.html