There is something about this picture of a Taiwanese Lafayette frigate that appears photoshopped, like it is made of legos. Is it the grey, black, and white paint job?
An S70-C helicopter takes off from the stern of a Taiwanese Lafayette frigate during exercises off the southern city of Kaohsiung,Taiwan.
Why does the Li Jian (the Dark Sword), China’s new UAV:
Li Jian, the Dark Sword UAV
look an awfully lot like our X-47:
X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D)
RQ-170, or Beast of Kandahar
I guess great minds think alike. Or it could be like the 2.2 trillion cigarettes a year consumed by the Chinese, a lot of which are knock-off Marlboros.
The following ‘bite’ taken from today’s Daily Express, which may be of interest…
Pervez Musharraf
Unknown gunmen have killed Pakistan’s lead prosecutor investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, throwing the case that also involves former ruler Pervez Musharraf into disarray.
Chaudhry Zulfikar was at the helm of a number of controversial cases, including the 2007 Ms Bhutto assassination in which Mr. Musharraf is accused of involvement. He was also prosecuting militants linked to the 2008 terror attack in the Indian city of Mumbai.
Mr Zulfikar was driving to a court in the capital Islamabad when gunmen fired at him from a taxi, hitting him in the head, shoulder and chest, said a police spokesman. He then lost control of his car, which hit a woman passer-by and killed her, said another police source.
Mr. Zulfikar’s guard, Farman Ali, returned fire and is believed to have wounded at least one of the attackers, but was also injured in the attack. The attackers fled after killing Mr. Zulfikar, police said, and a massive search has been launched to find them.
The motive for the killing is not yet clear, but his involvement in the two particularly high-profile cases is likely to be scrutinised closely.
Government prosecutors have accused Mr. Musharraf of being involved in Ms Bhutto’s assassination and not providing enough security to Pakistan’s first female prime minister.
Mr. Musharraf, who was in power when Ms Bhutto was killed, denies the allegations. At the time of the attack, he blamed the assassination on the Pakistani Taliban.
The Bhutto case has lingered for years in the Pakistani court system. A number of alleged assailants are on trial but no one has been convicted. The case burst into the headlines when Musharraf returned in March after four years in exile.
Mr. Zulfikar was also the government’s lead prosecutor in a case related to the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai that killed 166 people. The attack was blamed on the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
In My Own Humble Opinion…
Pervez Musharraf is like Marmite, you either like him, or hate him, there is no buffer or in-between.
His return to Pakistan has been sanctioned by friends from upon high (and afar); he is the real solution to sorting out the mess that Pakistan is mired in, he will also provide the stability required when Allied forces pull out of Afghanistan. ‘Musharraf’ has the loyalty of Pakistan’s elite military Corps, which he will need to quell instability when he does (and he will) become Pakistan’s next Para Military President. (Just don’t expect human rights to be on the agenda when he takes on the extreme Islamic factions).
Musharraf has forged relationships with some powerful financial friends throughout his ‘self imposed’ exile In London and Dubai, as well as throughout his International ‘Free Speech’ tour of the West. His military training at Sandhurst as well as his consequential training within Pakistan’s elite special forces, allows this very well educated man to shoot from the lip, as well as the hip. He has the mark of death upon him from the Pakistani Taliban, which he brushes off as a matter of fact that simply goes with the job.
Does anyone think that ‘Musharraf’ will benefit from the Prosecutors assassination?
Has a fish got a waterproof head?
Yours Aye.
When I am in need of binoculars, I have found that a good substitute (if I am binoc-less) is holding my hands up to my eyes and making believe. Like this North Korean soldier:
A North Korean soldier looks out of the window of a guard tower, on the banks of Yalu River.
No matter my gripes with Navy uniforms (and the aqua-flage), our regs are not as crazy as the North Koreans. Who force their women into high heels:
Female North Korean soldiers patrol along the banks of Yalu River, near the town of Sinuiju, as the world remained on high alert for a North Korean missile launch.
Click on the link and look at the second picture. What’s up with the cat?
I cannot read North Korea’s propaganda without chuckling. Not if they are going to put out gems like this:
The former president of South Korea is a “rat,” Hillary Clinton is a “funny lady” who is “by no means intelligent” and the U.S. mainland is “similar to a boiled pumpkin.”
Anyone have any good boiled pumpkin recipes?
Since the Guardian disaster, the Philippines Navy has been slightly more present on the web than I seem to remember. For example, per their Facebook page, they put out their manifesto: By 2020, Shall be the Navy’s capable and reliable fighting Force at Sea, responsive to the needs of our maritime nation:
Philippine Navy 2020
If you were smart, you could smuggle North Korean flags into the South for sale and vice versa. It seems like flags don’t have a long shelf life, especially if they are your enemy’s:
South Korean protesters slit up a North Korean flag during an anti-North Korea rally in Seoul, South Korea, following a nuclear test conducted by North Korea Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. North Korea said it successfully detonated a miniaturized nuclear device at a northeastern test site Tuesday, defying U.N. Security Council orders to shut down atomic activity or face more sanctions and international isolation. The signs read ” Out, Kim Jong Un.”
It turns out China’s new first lady (and singer) Peng Liyuan serenaded the troops during the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square:
China’s new first lady and singer Peng Liyuan salutes during a performance for a People’s Liberation Army’s unit in Luoyang, Henan province October 20, 2004. Peng is best known in China as a singer, and for many years was arguably better known and certainly more popular than her husband who is China’s President Xi Jinping.
Propaganda is a fine dish best served with a subtle sprig of parsley. Get too heavy-handed with the kimchi and garlic and you end up turning your message into a joke. Like this heavy-sauced number from North Korea:
North Korean Propaganda Against the US
Hand Salute for the link: Mark (Thanks!)
Zhang Jiale
I am most certainly a capitalist. I am not that materialistic in my daily life, but find the capitalist system to be the least intrusive in terms of control and freedom.
That said, Sino Life insurance boss Zhang Jun’s daughter Zhang Jiale is a little out of control on the sharing of pictures of her conspicuous consumption.
And Zhang, I thought your daughter was your son. You might want to glam her up a bit, if it is not too late. (I am not trying to be funny. I merely might not be progressive enough in my views on gender. Men are men; women, women. Is this considered old-fashioned?)
Nobody’s busting into YOUR apartment at three in the morning, are they? Well, then don’t worry about what they’re doing in South Korea and places like that. It’s like the standard of living. Are you content to achieve your higher standard of living at the expense of people all over the world who’ve got a lower standard of living? Most Americans would say yes. Now we ask the question, are you content to enjoy your political freedom at the expense of people who are less free? I think they would also say yes.
–William S. Burroughs (With William Burroughs: A Report From The Bunker)
The top comments talking about China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, are hilarious. From the Yahoo article about the carrier anchored in the northern port in Qingdao:
-On Wed. nights the galley features all you can eat American food………
-”The Chinese purchased this ship, in response to a really bad Kung Foo movie, that was posted on U-tube (that the President disproves of) and we will throw the movie maker in jail, on trumped up charges” (USA State Dept official statement)
-I heard they bought it off of craigslist.
-And the President is discussing his options, with his main security expert ( Oprah) this very minute……
-”Permanent base” don’t you mean “dealership” ?
(radio ad spot) “Those pesky Americans and Israelis got you down, Abdul ? Got a few trillion barrels of oil burning a hole in your pocket? Common down to Honest Wang’s Happy day Aircraft carrier, and ballistic missile emporium, where “terrorist” are treated like family, and democracy is a “dirty word” ……call to arrange YOUR test drive, today!”-Batteries not included.
-I hear that you can rent it for parties, weddings, or third world wars!
-it has a sweet ramp for making jumps
-Qingdao (青岛）is also a pretty good beer. It is written on the label as Tsing tao. Well worth a try.
-Don’t they know its bad luck to rename a ship.
How ironic, even they did not want anything “Made In China”.
-Qingdao?… Good beer…
China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, is anchored in the northern port in Qingdao.
Qingdao (青岛) is both the carrier’s name and beer name? Kind of like the USS Coors?
This Russian meteor thing has taken on a life of its own. There are meteor videos (google meteor hits Russia or meteor Russia video) all over the place. And our pals, the Rooskees, are blaming (gulp) us:
One of the most popular jokes was that the meteorite was supposed to fall on Dec. 21 last year — when many believed the Mayan calendar predicted the end of the world — but was delivered late by Russia’s notoriously inefficient postal service.
A 10-ton meteor streaked at supersonic speed over Russia’s Ural Mountains on Friday, setting off blasts that injured nearly 1,100 people and frightened countless more.
The dramatic event prompted an array of reactions from prominent Russians.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, speaking at an economic forum in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, said the meteor could be a symbol for the forum, showing that “not only the economy is vulnerable, but the whole planet.”
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a nationalist leader noted for his vehement statements, blamed the Americans.
“It’s not meteors falling. It’s the test of a new weapon by the Americans,” the RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as saying.
My question, which is a more popular search engine term, meteor Russia or meteorite Russia? Meteor or meteorite?
I am very wary of bloggers who do not blog under their real name. It is not like we are Zhang Hongming, blogging (twitting) at Fan Club of Learning From Xi on Sina Weibo. Heck, even Xi Jinping’s wife, Peng Liyuan, is a follower.
