A Scary Thought
The meme here is a reference to President Trump’s recent conversation with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un about the death by torture of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died after being jailed by North Korea, in which Trump said, “I don’t believe Kim knew of Warmbier’s mistreatment; I will take him at his word.”
Obviously, (at this point) there is no definitive evidence that we’ve been “invaded.” But my GOD it’s hard to explain this phenomenon if you believe that the U.S. president is an honest person with the best interests of our country and its people at heart.
Craig,
Are you sure you know anything about the art of marketing,selling or negotiating ?
One thing is for sure, you know nothing about hostage negotiating techniques !
The President is trying to open negotiations and influence a young man who has been brought up his whole life in a closed society, and no comprehension of western concerns, morality or sensibilities.
What possible good would it do to aggressively attack the North Koren leader, upbraid him on his many shortcomings, and deliver him a moral lecture on matters he can’t, and won’t, redress.
Such an admission by Kim Jong Un would result in his rapid overthrow and gruesome death. No only would it be counter-productive, but absurdly naive.
Kim Jong Un may not be a complete monster, but he’s been brought up among monsters all his life. Trump can only hope to influence KIM Jong Un by appearing to be his friend, showing empathy and understanding, while holding out a lure of nations like Singapore, where an authoritarian regime has long been tolerated by America in return for reasonable freedom and enormous free market prosperity.
President Trump must lower Kim Jong Un’s justifiable paranoia and fear of USA intervention.
Over the last 30 years the US and UN have lectured, ostracized and castigated North Korea. The only result has been broken promises, deepening fear and hatred in the North Korean Regime for an imperialistic America whom they believe feels morally justified in waging war to effect regime change in any nation the US dislikes.
Now, if you were Kim Jong Un and his band of cronies, given recent, and on-going, US history, wouldn’t you think you were right to be wary ?
It’s a sad fact that Otto Warmbier is a casualty of international geo-politics. The President has a choice, take the high moral ground and drive a desperate North Korea into further development of an arsenal of nuclear weapons capable of obliterating neighbors and even US cities, or continue building trust with the only person who can present Armageddon.
So far President Trump is succeeding. He’s accomplished more progress in two years, than all other President’s in 22 years !
—————————————————
Why do you feel criticism of the President is more important than an exciting new development from my own city of Melbourne.
A research team led by Professor Torben Daeneke of the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a new technique that can efficiently convert CO2 from a gas into solid particles of carbon.
Researchers have used liquid metals to turn carbon dioxide back into solid coal, This ‘breakthrough’ could transform carbon capture and storage.
First published in the Journal Nature Communications, the research offers an alternative pathway for safely and permanently removing the greenhouse gas from our atmosphere.
Current technologies for carbon capture and storage focus on compressing CO2 into a liquid form, transporting it to a suitable site and injecting it underground, or storing for conversion to by products.
Implementation has been hampered by engineering challenges, economic viability and environmental concerns about possible leaks from the storage sites
To date, CO2 has been converted into a solid at extremely high temperatures, making it industrially difficult ro implement.
“By using liquid metals as a catalyst, we’ve shown it’s possible to turn the gas back into carbon at room temperature, in a process that’s efficient and scalable.
Dr Dorna Esrafilzadeh, a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow in RMIT’s School of Engineering, developed the electrochemical technique to capture and convert atmospheric CO2 to storable solid carbon.
To convert CO2, the researchers designed a liquid metal catalyst with specific surface properties that made it extremely efficient at conducting electricity while chemically activating the surface.
The carbon dioxide is dissolved in a beaker filled with an electrolyte liquid and a small amount of the liquid metal, which is then charged with an electrical current.
The CO2 slowly converts into solid flakes of carbon, which are naturally detached from the liquid metal surface, allowing the continuous production of carbonaceous solid.
The carbon produced could also be used as an electrode (or supercapacitor) capable of holding a high level of electrical charge. Such a product could potentially be used as a component in future electric vehicles.
The process also produces synthetic fuel as a by-product, with industrial applications.
Now tell me Craig, isn’t that news far more exciting than endless bleating from “Never Trumpers”?
Think of the implications for Coal rich nations, the massive (and immediate) reductions in Climate Change emissions etc.
Curiously, although the RMIT (and it’s team of researchers)is recognized as a first class, world ranked university, the coverage of this event has been minimal.
The only organizations to give the announcement any publicity outside academic journals, has been the Australian Green Party, Get UP! and the ‘Militant Socialist Alliance”, who called for funding to be stopped and the RMIT to ban the results, as being a “tool” to undermine “renewable energy technology”.
Unsurprisingly, these organizations all received funding from solar and wind manufacturers and retailers.
I realize this is just one more item you will ignore, immersed as you are in your narrow minded hatred of Coal, but on the remote off-chance you may be interested here is the link to the full article much of which I paraphrased.
[ https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2019/feb/carbon-dioxide-coal ]
This sort of technology is still in an early stage of development, and although full development and commercialization may still be many years away, I believe this is most promising R&D initiative an worthy of full support.
I would really appreciate your opinion of the work these young researchers have accomplished.
If you really think this is the work of a master negotiator, I have some land for sale for you as a real estate developer.
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=2049&bih=937&ei=Vd97XKP8AceM0wKT3Yj4BQ&q=swamp&oq=swamp&gs_l=img.3..0j0i131j0l3j0i131l2j0l3.3141.4404..5903…0.0..0.111.462.3j2……2….1..gws-wiz-img…..0..35i39.0kOWK_NKPLc#imgdii=GMSOWNf4wxiDfM:&imgrc=_QhOFGOecy-irM:
Seriously, nobody could possibly believe this.
Craig,
Yeah, right. So much better to commence negotiations by delivering a lengthy moral sermon to a prospect on his many faults and defects in a patronizing and condescending tone !
That’s guaranteed to win him over!
How disappointing you would rather sneer at the President’s efforts to bring real peace and stability to the region, because all those other President’s methods worked so well, didn’t they ?
“nobody could possibly believe this”. Well, in reality, some prominent (and more rational) democrats like Joe Biden agreed with the President. The President’s diplomacy may be a little unconventional, but so far it’s working.
He hasn’t dragged the US into any new disastrous military adventures, redrafted NAFTA to US advantage, curtailed Russia in Eastern Europe, forced the European members of NATO to not only pay their share, but increase troop numbers and bring their military up to strength.
He’s even winning the ongoing trade readjustment with China..
But far more disappointing is you would rather take the time to post google results to support your fatuous observation, than take an interest in a possibly important scientific environmental “breakthrough”.
Craig, isn’t it really time to re-evaluate your priorities ?
What is more important to you ? Are your credentials as an “never Trumper” more important than promoting new clean(er( technology ?
I provide details of a possibly massive scientific breakthrough, and all you can do is respond with childish political sniggering unacceptable from an immature undergraduate.
I asked, sincerely and politely for your opinion on what could be the single most important global environmental development a whole new scientific method of dealing with global pollution, but you are so consumed with scoring gratuitous political points.
What’s happened to you?