Eight out of China’s top nine government officials are scientists

[alphatarget1]

They are not scientists, they are engineers.

Which is why monstrosities (disasters) such as the Three Gorges Dam got built. You *can't* have a country run by people who only know how to do certain things without being able to see the big picture.

Germany's chancellor was a physicist. No matter what she does she'll always have my respect because, well, she was a physicist! Douchey US politicians = lawyers = no respect.

 

[Jaepheth]

You'd think scientists would be less likely to harass, imprison, and torture political dissidents.

Perhaps the elements responsible for those actions are below the layer of abstraction they're working at.

 

[SirStev0]

whereas 9 out of 9 American Politicians are assholes.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

And replaced with Church-approved ideologically correct "Intelligent Design" theory. Because the real problem with the US these days is that we aren't God-fearing enough. We need to bring God back into our lives.

I'm sorry, how many political prisoners are there in the US? How many countries we threatened for nominating a Nobel Prize winner?

I suggest a test. Make fun of the "god fearing people" on the internet in the US then go to China and bitch about the government. Wait, you did the first, so go to China and we'll keep a seat for you if you ever get out of prison.

I don't give a shit if the Chinese bow to Mecca or the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. These people would kill you no sooner than look at you if it suited them, and you would have no recourse.

 

[wuliheron]

They are not scientists, they are engineers.

Which is why monstrosities (disasters) such as the Three Gorges Dam got built. You *can't* have a country run by people who only know how to do certain things without being able to see the big picture.

Germany's chancellor was a physicist. No matter what she does she'll always have my respect because, well, she was a physicist! Douchey US politicians = lawyers = no respect.

The Three Gorges Damn is about water as much as anything else. China has a long history of severe floods and droughts and currently 400 out of 600 cities are facing water shortages. Major rivers are already running dry at certain times of year, all the waterways are polluted, and northern China is facing its own version of the dust bowel.

By 2050 every major aquifer in the world will be dry and a huge percentage of the Chinese population will be dependent upon food imports. Converting from an agricultural to an industrial economy where the same water is worth 70 times more in income is their only chance for survival. Its a race against time and within the next couple of decades many of them will loose that race anyway.

 

[ShawnD1]

The Three Gorges Damn is about water as much as anything else. China has a long history of severe floods and droughts and currently 400 out of 600 cities are facing water shortages. Major rivers are already running dry at certain times of year, all the waterways are polluted, and northern China is facing its own version of the dust bowel.

lol China. Instead of cutting back the population, let's do some retarded shit with dams and stuff :awe::awe::awe:

Country about the same size as the US. Population is more than 4x greater than the US. DUUUURRRRRRR

 

[Pulsar]

They are not scientists, they are engineers.

Which is why monstrosities (disasters) such as the Three Gorges Dam got built. You *can't* have a country run by people who only know how to do certain things without being able to see the big picture.

Germany's chancellor was a physicist. No matter what she does she'll always have my respect because, well, she was a physicist! Douchey US politicians = lawyers = no respect.

Well, that was good for a chuckle fest. Thanks for over-reaching generalization about engineers. I think, if you actually took the time to do some research (guffaw), that the heads of many many successful major corporations are engineers first, with masters and business degrees later. But I'm sure you're right. Engineers can't see the big picture at all.

There are a number of reasons that caised 3 gorges dam to be built. Amoung them were water shortages that China is facing, along with a huge desire to prop up GDP through mega-infrastructure projects. That desire is a direct result of their economists and politicians - not their engineering core.

Let me guess. You're not an engineer.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...-LzKCg&usg=AFQjCNGEU5j6SAxtkn4g-8voBBT_9dk4VA

 

[wuliheron]

lol China. Instead of cutting back the population, let's do some retarded shit with dams and stuff :awe::awe::awe:

Country about the same size as the US. Population is more than 4x greater than the US. DUUUURRRRRRR

They're one of the few countries in the world that has managed to limit their population growth using everything from sterilization to public humiliation. What would you recommend? Drowning newborns?

 

[ShawnD1]

They're one of the few countries in the world that has managed to limit their population growth using everything from sterilization to public humiliation. What would you recommend? Drowning newborns?

When asking nicely doesn't work, it's time to set up death camps and soylent green factories. Everyone knows this.

While China is busy failing at everything, Europe's population change is doing pretty good.

Due to aggressive abortion policies, much of Europe is declining.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population_growth_rate

Russia is showing the world how it's done with astoundingly high abortion rates. China too, but China still needs more.

 

[Jeff7]

Engineers i could see though.

A statement is often uttered in the engineering department where I work: "I hate people."
Though I don't think we're quite to the level of "The fools! One day I'll make them all pay!"

 

[WhipperSnapper]

In fact, 8 out of China’s top 9 government officials are scientists.

Wow. Gg China. The U.S. is doomed.

 

[wuliheron]

When asking nicely doesn't work, it's time to set up death camps and soylent green factories. Everyone knows this.

If everybody knows that then why hasn't anyone done it yet? Somehow I think you in a minority along with the Neo-Nazis.

 

[nonlnear]

You'd think scientists would be less likely to harass, imprison, and torture political dissidents.

You don't have to go very far back in American and European history to see some pretty terrifying "experiments" done in the name of science. Mainstream, university endorsed science too - not just the stuff of cranks.

Possibly more alarming is the pontification of some of the folks in the humanities. I don't know where people get the idea that academia is a "civilized" place. It's a place for imaginations to run free. That can be a wonderful, or a terrifying thing - or both.

 

[Howard]

I don't know if this is true or not, but many of my family members who are engineers tend to be very uncompromising. It's either black or white, true or false. If people don't agree with them, then those people are wrong.

They'll grow up eventually.

 

[alphatarget1]

Well, that was good for a chuckle fest. Thanks for over-reaching generalization about engineers. I think, if you actually took the time to do some research (guffaw), that the heads of many many successful major corporations are engineers first, with masters and business degrees later. But I'm sure you're right. Engineers can't see the big picture at all.

There are a number of reasons that caised 3 gorges dam to be built. Amoung them were water shortages that China is facing, along with a huge desire to prop up GDP through mega-infrastructure projects. That desire is a direct result of their economists and politicians - not their engineering core.

Let me guess. You're not an engineer.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...-LzKCg&usg=AFQjCNGEU5j6SAxtkn4g-8voBBT_9dk4VA

I think engineers who haven't had a good, comprehensive education are not good leaders who can see the big picture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Peng

This is the asshole who ordered the Tienanmen massacre and also OKed the Three Gorges Dam project. He has a degree in, guess what, hydroelectric engineering! (from his wiki page). Since I'm from an engineering background myself, I see many of my peers who do not see the big picture.

Engineers are trained to do certain tasks. Let's say a structural engineer is trained to design the structure for the Three Gorges Dam. How would the structural engineer know how much seepage would occur to the surrounding soil of the reservoir, and how it would affect ground adjacent to it? What about environmental impacts from the project? I assure you very little engineers would think about these things, things that are not related to their expertise.

In the US, a project like Three Gorges Dam will never go through. Even the current Chinese leadership knows the previous one fucked up, and they distance themselves from it. I just personally don't think a pure engineering education gears one for leadership positions, IMO.

 

[ShawnD1]

If everybody knows that then why hasn't anyone done it yet?

Dachau, Germany

random gulag, Soviet Union

Laogai labor camp, China

Hey look at that, China really does have gulags. When people say products from China are made by "slave labor" they are 100% correct.
I guess that solves China's population mystery. Why attempt to control the population when you can jail millions of people and force them to make a bunch of low quality shit for export. It would actually be a lot more humane if China just killed these people instead of giving them a false sense of hope that they may some day escape.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Hey look at that, China really does have gulags. When people say products from China are made by "slave labor" they are 100% correct.
I guess that solves China's population mystery. Why attempt to control the population when you can jail millions of people and force them to make a bunch of low quality shit for export. It would actually be a lot more humane if China just killed these people instead of giving them a false sense of hope that they may some day escape.

1) The premise of a country having forced labour camps does not entail the conclusion that such labour is being used to make products for export.
2) Your image is so small and so narrow it is hard to infer any context from it. If it weren't for your (presumably accurate) caption there is nothing to the image to indicate that it was a labour camp.

 

[wuliheron]

Hey look at that, China really does have gulags. When people say products from China are made by "slave labor" they are 100% correct.
I guess that solves China's population mystery. Why attempt to control the population when you can jail millions of people and force them to make a bunch of low quality shit for export. It would actually be a lot more humane if China just killed these people instead of giving them a false sense of hope that they may some day escape.

I'm not disputing that countries have had gulags and concentration camps, I'm disputing that they were expressly for population control. China is the only one of those countries that has ever had a serious overpopulation problem and they rank somewhere around 113th in the world for incarceration rates! Its pretty hard to argue they are practicing population control this way when so few are incarcerated.

 

[gingermeggs]

I think the better word is "Reverse Engineers". I have never seen anything come out of China that the world has never seen before, they just make technology cheap.

Howdee'
Well what about the Gunpowder? wheel barrow? compass? or noodles aka "pasta"?
Human kind is always doing cultural leapfrogging, western Europe was in doldrums in middles ages- the turks invented the rifle, the indians come up with the concept of infinity and negavity- without these conglomerated discoveries, we would all back in the cave just like your post here-or maybe back at the ranch! yippe'kyeee'yayyyeeee!
Megszy

 

[gingermeggs]

When asking nicely doesn't work, it's time to set up death camps and soylent green factories. Everyone knows this.

While China is busy failing at everything, Europe's population change is doing pretty good.

Due to aggressive abortion policies, much of Europe is declining.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population_growth_rate

Russia is showing the world how it's done with astoundingly high abortion rates. China too, but China still needs more.

Officially Russia has 600,000 living hiv+, most of this is via heroine addiction, so to be honest the average "Yuri" Russian was better off under communism. instead of creating mega rich like Abramovic', at lest Europe has some stability to it's fuel supplies I guess.

 

[DesiPower]

Howdee'
Well what about the Gunpowder? wheel barrow? compass? or noodles aka "pasta"?
Human kind is always doing cultural leapfrogging, western Europe was in doldrums in middles ages- the turks invented the rifle, the indians come up with the concept of infinity and negavity- without these conglomerated discoveries, we would all back in the cave just like your post here-or maybe back at the ranch! yippe'kyeee'yayyyeeee!
Megszy

OK, how about you get your head out of you rear end and think about it for a while, lets talk about today. In the past 10 - 20 years, China has not come up with anything that helped humanity in any way, except for cheap labor, well... that too has basically hurt humanity in ways but that a discussion for another day.
All china has done is reverse engineer and steal intellectual property. It has infringed several patented design by copying and then gave the middle figure to the rest of the civilized world. So you can basically take your bullshit argument and stick it up yours.
Today the rest of the civilized worlds are governed by different laws which is honorably followed by most of the countries. I understand that some countries which do not have honor or self respect will keep doing it, but that, in no way, makes it right.
If this sealing does not stop it will slow down the R&D coz of decline in investment in R&D coz organization making those investments will know that their innovations will be stolen anyways and they will never get a fair ROI. And then slowly you can move back to the cave or the whatever sh1th0le you crawled out of.

 

[sunzt]

OK, how about you get your head out of you rear end and think about it for a while, lets talk about today. In the past 10 - 20 years, China has not come up with anything that helped humanity in any way, except for cheap labor, well... that too has basically hurt humanity in ways but that a discussion for another day.
All china has done is reverse engineer and steal intellectual property. It has infringed several patented design by copying and then gave the middle figure to the rest of the civilized world. So you can basically take your bullshit argument and stick it up yours.
Today the rest of the civilized worlds are governed by different laws which is honorably followed by most of the countries. I understand that some countries which do not have honor or self respect will keep doing it, but that, in no way, makes it right.
If this sealing does not stop it will slow down the R&D coz of decline in investment in R&D coz organization making those investments will know that their innovations will be stolen anyways and they will never get a fair ROI. And then slowly you can move back to the cave or the whatever sh1th0le you crawled out of.

They've pretty much mastered supply chain, manufacturing scaling, tooling adaptations, and logistics management ... often overlooked, but are critical to modern global commerce.

 

[Infohawk]

They've pretty much mastered supply chain, manufacturing scaling, tooling adaptations, and logistics management ... often overlooked, but are critical to modern global commerce.

LOL. Give me a break. They've just done things cheaper than other people because of a huge labor market and an authoritarian government. They haven't "mastered" anything.

 

[sunzt]

LOL. Give me a break. They've just done things cheaper than other people because of a huge labor market and an authoritarian government. They haven't "mastered" anything.

There are cheaper places than China for labor. Chinese labor wages have increased over 70% since 2005, so labor arbitrage isn't as much an advantage as it used to be.

Obviously you have no understanding of how a global economy/business works. It doesn't matter how cheap someone can build something for if they cannot meet the timing or demand of the purchaser.

The necessary supplier base and infrastructure (supply chain) for consumer electronics is in China and the far east. You cannot develop that in the US.

 

[nonlnear]

LOL. Give me a break. They've just done things cheaper than other people because of a huge labor market and an authoritarian government. They haven't "mastered" anything.

They've also deferred the cost of widespread industrial contamination of their water and soil. All this electronics manufacturing that Americans like to complain that they want over here is incredibly dirty business. That's a NIMBY industry if I ever saw one. I'm glad to let China have it, honestly. If it weren't for the fact that they fight so hard to get that business, I would feel bad for what it's doing to them. Actually I still do feel bad for them for having to live with that mess.