|
Jerry Cotton posted:I'm really surprised the Finnish one (whatever it is) isn't facing East It gets points for creativity though. Everything else is cross, cross, eagle with a cross, cross... CAVEMAN RIDING A FUGGIN' BEAR!
|
#
?
May 26, 2014 23:29
|
|
Maybe just an oversight? Or maybe their main enemy is the muslimbögs of Sweden 
|
|
| # ? May 18, 2024 06:40 |
|
|
Bloodnose posted:Does that map show North Korea as having a US military presence? The US hosts an annual multi-national naval exercise in the Pacific called Operation RIMPAC. The Chinese have participated in an observer status, meaning they can send whatever ships and troops they like but couldn't actively take part in combat simulations; only medical, engineering, search & rescue etc. This year they have been invited to join as full member status meaning they can take part in combat exercises alongside US forces; it is probable that some Chinese forces will temporarily fall under US command and vice versa. Currently they haven't accepted but this isn't particularly unusual; most countries wait until the last minute incase either their domestic or international situation changes and their forces are needed elsewhere. There is a smaller operation called Cobra Gold held annually in the South China Sea, also led by the US - US and Chinese forces have worked alongside each other for several years now along with other regional actors (Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia) and cemented ties in both combat and humanitarian exercises. There are also exchange programs for US and Chinese officers to move between each country although admittedly they aren't armed; this sort of thing is also done at a very senior level (Brigadier General and above; for comparison, the British and US armed forces have exchange programs for Lieutenants and senior NCOs). So you're right in that there certainly aren't US Marines marching around with assault rifles; but there certainly are US senior officers in China entitled to and expected to wear their uniforms. Despite what the politicians would have you believe China and the US have co-operated on a large number of issues, even when Mao Zedong was in power, and the relationship is strengthening by the day. You're not going to see the Chinese air force training in Colorado any day soon, but it's heading in that direction.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 01:19
|
|
|
Jerry Cotton posted:I'm really surprised the Finnish one (whatever it is) isn't facing East Proper heraldic symbols always face left (well not always but it's the default). Darth Various posted:It gets points for creativity though. Everything else is cross, cross, eagle with a cross, cross... CAVEMAN RIDING A FUGGIN' BEAR! 
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 01:44
|
|
|
duckmaster posted:The US hosts an annual multi-national naval exercise in the Pacific called Operation RIMPAC. The Chinese have participated in an observer status, meaning they can send whatever ships and troops they like but couldn't actively take part in combat simulations; only medical, engineering, search & rescue etc. This year they have been invited to join as full member status meaning they can take part in combat exercises alongside US forces; it is probable that some Chinese forces will temporarily fall under US command and vice versa. Currently they haven't accepted but this isn't particularly unusual; most countries wait until the last minute incase either their domestic or international situation changes and their forces are needed elsewhere. Lets be honest though basically everyone wants to drill with America.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 01:44
|
|
|
Darth Various posted:It gets points for creativity though. Everything else is cross, cross, eagle with a cross, cross... CAVEMAN RIDING A FUGGIN' BEAR! It looks to me more like a guy holding a chainsaw above his head while riding a loving polar bear. It's loving awesome for iconography. If only it weren't representing such a reprehensible ideology, that's an emblem I would follow to hell and back.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 03:31
|
|
|
Frostwerks posted:It looks to me more like a guy holding a chainsaw above his head while riding a loving polar bear. It's loving awesome for iconography. If only it weren't representing such a reprehensible ideology, that's an emblem I would follow to hell and back. Heraldry  is  cool. 
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 08:14
|
|
|
Lawman 0 posted:Lets be honest though basically everyone wants to drill with America. It's beneficial for all parties involved really. The Chinese get to feel like an important growing diplomatic partner AND get to see first hand just how powerful the US Navy is.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 08:23
|
|
|
XMNN posted:Seems quite likely, the Romanian one is the symbol of the Iron Guard, i.e. their homegrown brand of pre-WWII fascists. They were destroyed with German blessing during the war.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 08:39
|
|
|
Phlegmish posted:I'm assuming it's supposed to be interbellum-themed. They really ruined all the cool symbols, some of those look pretty badass. I think you're right, the flag on Ireland (which I didn't recognise straight away, our tiny bunch of racists tend to use the celtic cross in their graffiti) is for the Blueshirts, our hilariously amateur attempt at fascism. A lot of them went on to merge with Fine Gael, the Irish conservative party and the lads currently in government.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 11:09
|
|
|
Kennel posted:Proper heraldic symbols always face left (well not always but it's the default). Is there a name for this symbol? It is pretty neat/funny.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 15:28
|
|
|
I made a map of all (mostly publicly funded) large professional symphonic, philharmonic and opera house orchestras (without smaller chamber orchestras) in Europe. Germany has as many orchestras as Italy, France and the UK combined and Finland seems to have the most orchestras per capita. What also surprised me is the amount of orchestras in Silesia. The "most classical" city is (unsurprisingly) Vienna, followed by Berlin, London and then Paris. In the UK, France and Spain most of the orchestras are concentrated in the largest city, whereas in Germany, Poland and Italy they're spread more evenly across the country.   The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in their famous concert hall in Amsterdam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wvpdBnfiZo Music by John Williams performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 15:30
|
|
|
Fojar38 posted:It's beneficial for all parties involved really. The Chinese get to feel like an important growing diplomatic partner AND get to see first hand just how powerful the US Navy is. Given how China didn't really give a gently caress about naval matters till about 20 years ago and are now on the verge of a full scale blue-water force they have come a long way. They still aren't likely to actively destroy large parts of the American fleet like the Russian one would (Everyone admits the reason that not a single American warship went near the Bosporus during the Ukrine Crisis is the Black Sea fleet would blow them to poo poo) in 20 years the worlds ocean will look different. Especially with China's massive economic links in Africa.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 15:49
|
|
|
This is a really awesome and interesting map, thanks!  I think its interesting how historical borders can still be seen in the distribution of orchestras. The areas in Germany with the highest ratio are invariably either former residence cities or areas where a lot of smaller pricipalities and territories tried to compete with each other that way. As an aside: If you can find a recording of the New Year's Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, then give it a listen. It's fascinating as hell, full of stuffy old traditions and with much of the programme having been fixed for decades at least, and yet it's still a brilliant concert given by one of the best orchestras in the world. System Metternich fucked around with this message at 16:22 on May 27, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 16:19
|
|
|
I think Austria's cultural budget is about equal to Frances.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 16:32
|
|
|
Honj Steak posted:Finland seems to have the most orchestras per capita. As a Finn I'm constantly on the hunt for weirdly specific things to feel patriotic about, thanks!
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 16:34
|
|
|
DarkCrawler posted:As a Finn I'm constantly on the hunt for weirdly specific things to feel patriotic about, thanks!  Finland has the highest recorded coffee consumption per capita, too! Finns consume, on average, 12 kg/year of coffee (or approximately 4.7 cups of coffee/day), which beats runner-up Norway's rate of consumption (9.9 kg/yr. & 3.9 cups/day) pretty handily.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 16:41
|
|
|
Riso posted:I think Austria's cultural budget is about equal to Frances. Not so sure about that - as far as I can see, in 2013 the federal government of Austria had budgeted about 1.9bn € for cultural expenditures vs France with about 7.4bn. The individual states probably add something to that figure, but I can't see how this could be even in the general vicinity of an additional 5.5bn €
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 16:46
|
|
|
Has anyone combined the maps of tea and coffee consumption. I wonder if the reason some countries are so low/high is a preference for tea over coffee or vise versa...
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 16:47
|
|
|
Ofaloaf posted:
Well that one I DID know. I have coffee on the desk now and it's uhhhhh seven PM.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 16:48
|
|
|
Count Roland posted:Is there a name for this symbol? It is pretty neat/funny. Coat of arms of Lapua municipality. Blazon: "On golden field a black, walking, red-armoured bear, rode by a man dressed up in blue belted dress, trousers and laced shoes, holding in his right hand black mace raised for a hit."
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 16:49
|
|
|
Rumda posted:Has anyone combined the maps of tea and coffee consumption. I wonder if the reason some countries are so low/high is a preference for tea over coffee or vise versa... DarkCrawler posted:Well that one I DID know. I have coffee on the desk now and it's uhhhhh seven PM.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 16:54
|
|
|
sbaldrick posted:Given how China didn't really give a gently caress about naval matters till about 20 years ago and are now on the verge of a full scale blue-water force they have come a long way. They still aren't likely to actively destroy large parts of the American fleet like the Russian one would (Everyone admits the reason that not a single American warship went near the Bosporus during the Ukrine Crisis is the Black Sea fleet would blow them to poo poo) in 20 years the worlds ocean will look different. Especially with China's massive economic links in Africa. Russia's navy is pretty poo poo as well and consists largely of SSBM's meant to launch nukes, not to fight another Navy. Furthermore what ships they do have consist mostly of, like China's, old Soviet rustbuckets. China's military is nowhere near as strong as the media often portrays, and they're still a long way from even having a respectable blue water navy, let alone one able to challenge the US Navy. http://thediplomat.com/2014/01/chinas-deceptively-weak-and-dangerous-military/
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 17:15
|
|
|
Rumda posted:Has anyone combined the maps of tea and coffee consumption. I wonder if the reason some countries are so low/high is a preference for tea over coffee or vise versa... Interesting fact: Tea used to be more popular in the US than coffee, and coffee was more popular in the UK. During the American revolution the tea supply to the US was interrupted to such an extent that they were forced to import far more coffee; this in turn drove up the price of coffee overall meaning that British companies began to import far more tea. Britain had a thriving coffee shop industry at the time whilst the US had a thriving teashop industry. Within just a generation or so this had been completely reversed. So yes, Britain is now a tea drinking country primarily due to availability in the late 18th century, and vice versa for America.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 17:24
|
|
|
duckmaster posted:Interesting fact: Tea used to be more popular in the US than coffee, and coffee was more popular in the UK. During the American revolution the tea supply to the US was interrupted to such an extent that they were forced to import far more coffee; this in turn drove up the price of coffee overall meaning that British companies began to import far more tea. I think chicory is still popular in parts of the Southern US in part because it was widely used as a coffee substitute during the Union blockade during the Civil War.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 17:58
|
|
|
Sucrose posted:I think chicory is still popular in parts of the Southern US in part because it was widely used as a coffee substitute during the Union blockade during the Civil War. Interesting - a google search revealed it was mixed with coffee during the Second World War in Britain to make rations last longer. I also found this!  Not surprised that Egypt and Morocco are big tea drinkers - presumably as it's important in Arabic culture, plus a bit of colonialism thrown in. Interesting that Algeria was apparently so assimilated (at least in this sense) that they are now big coffee drinkers though. Cambodia and Myanmar have no data but I can anecdotally say that Cambodia prefers coffee; they tend to prefer the Thais over the Vietnamese so I assume this is due to historical trade links (and the fact they were a French protectorate, although this doesn't explain Vietnams tea preference). I was in Myanmar a couple of weeks ago and they are absolutely tea mad. Almost every cafe/bar (they call them "Beer Stations") had a flask of tea on the table and the ones that didn't would practically throw a cup at you as soon as you sat down. It's a mountainous country and was a British colony; the population is made up of dozens of tribal groups who don't get on too well but the one thing they agree on is tea. And very nice it is too.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 19:14
|
|
|
Fojar38 posted:Russia's navy is pretty poo poo as well and consists largely of SSBM's meant to launch nukes, not to fight another Navy. Furthermore what ships they do have consist mostly of, like China's, old Soviet rustbuckets. Given there has only been conflict between any naval state since WWII we really have no idea. However, every published analysis said a US fleet would get sunk if it entered the Black Sea that isn't completely true. Also that article dismisses the Chinese military because they use horses to patrol areas in the interior, just like the American military did in Afghanistan.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 19:19
|
|
|
duckmaster posted:Interesting - a google search revealed it was mixed with coffee during the Second World War in Britain to make rations last longer. Heya, you don't take PMs, but I'd love to bend your ear about Burma. I've been, but not recently, and have a chance to invest there.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 19:29
|
|
|
duckmaster posted:Interesting - a google search revealed it was mixed with coffee during the Second World War in Britain to make rations last longer. Coffee is at least equally revered in Muslim countries, and popularity of coffee in Algeria predates French rule - it was introduced as a popular consumer item by Turkish settlers and traders. In fact it's Europe who is assimilated, because European trade with coffee is relatively young compared to the Turkish and Arabic tradition. steinrokkan fucked around with this message at 19:37 on May 27, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 19:35
|
|
|
sbaldrick posted:Also that article dismisses the Chinese military because they use horses to patrol areas in the interior, just like the American military did in Afghanistan. You're absolutely right. It's very difficult to identify tracks from 500 feet in the air, and horses aren't as susceptible to weather conditions as helicopters. Also in a vast area with low infrastructure (where nuclear missile bases tend to be situated) it's difficult to transport the large quantities of fuel, oil and spare parts that a helicopter fleet requires. Furthermore it's quite easy to train a soldier how to look after their horse; but training a helicopter crew in the intricacies of helicopter maintenance and repair is much more difficult. So you need more men, more food, more water, more accommodation, more transport, more medicine, more doctors, more entertainment... etc etc etc. This is the main reason the US Border Patrol uses horses in some more remote areas. For patrolling! The submarine he references that contained "the cream of Chinas Navy" or some other such rubbish was on a training patrol with its regular crew and some cadets, whilst his claim that China has never conducted a nuclear missile patrol ignores the Type 092 (one vessel introduced 1981) and the Type 094 (three to five in service, first introduced 2004). His knowledge of PLA Special Forces training exercises is impressive, assuming they are true.. but maybe his presumably Chinese military source told him what they want him to say? That whole article stinks of desperation and bias.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 19:37
|
|
|
TheImmigrant posted:Heya, you don't take PMs, but I'd love to bend your ear about Burma. I've been, but not recently, and have a chance to invest there. calumfrew at gmail dot com Drop me an email.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 19:39
|
|
|
duckmaster posted:Interesting - a google search revealed it was mixed with coffee during the Second World War in Britain to make rations last longer. I'm surprised Russia is that high for tea although I don't really have a picture of them drinking anything but vodka.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 20:00
|
|
|
duckmaster posted:You're absolutely right. Yes, for patrolling. But I can't think of any missile bases in the continental United States where you need to transport supplies via horse. Keep in mind this isn't some remote mountain on the other side of the planet we're talking about regarding China, these are bases inside their own borders. I'm sure that horseback patrols still exist in the continental United States but I suspect that they're civilian police forces rather than the military. Correct me if I'm wrong. quote:The submarine he references that contained "the cream of Chinas Navy" or some other such rubbish was on a training patrol with its regular crew and some cadets, whilst his claim that China has never conducted a nuclear missile patrol ignores the Type 092 (one vessel introduced 1981) and the Type 094 (three to five in service, first introduced 2004). His knowledge of PLA Special Forces training exercises is impressive, assuming they are true.. but maybe his presumably Chinese military source told him what they want him to say? Everything I can find on the Type 094 is that they haven't begun any operational patrols with it, though they're slated to start this year. Regarding the type 092 I can't find any operational history for it, which makes sense since this is the PLAN, but the US Defense Intelligence Agency lists the Type 092 as not being operational. Perhaps it was at some point, but it seems to no longer be the case. quote:That whole article stinks of desperation and bias. Well I'll bet it does when you presume that he must be lying.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 20:14
|
|
|
computer parts posted:I'm surprised Russia is that high for tea although I don't really have a picture of them drinking anything but vodka.  Russians drink a LOT of tea. Every household will have a samovar of some sort.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 20:21
|
|
|
Baronjutter posted:Russians drink a LOT of tea. Every household will have a samovar of some sort. They even have a wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_tea_culture
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 20:29
|
|
|
Riso posted:I think Austria's cultural budget is about equal to Frances. It's to keep the artists busy so that there won't be any more World Wars . Irc every public building has to have a certain percentage of it's building costs put to art.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 20:39
|
|
|
Fojar38 posted:Yes, for patrolling. But I can't think of any missile bases in the continental United States where you need to transport supplies via horse. Keep in mind this isn't some remote mountain on the other side of the planet we're talking about regarding China, these are bases inside their own borders. I didn't say they are transporting anything by horse, but that using horses in lieu of helicopters cuts down on the supplies they need to fly in. It makes sense - why spend five times as much using helicopters when horses will do the job just as well? With the population density and concentration of China - specifically being on the other side of the country to the one we're talking about - they are remote mountains and they might as well be on the other side of the planet. Fojar38 posted:I'm sure that horseback patrols still exist in the continental United States but I suspect that they're civilian police forces rather than the military. Correct me if I'm wrong. Yes, I said the US Border Patrol so civilians. But as has been said already they were used in Afghanistan and there are still a few dozen "employed" by the Army for transport, patrols and humanitarian reasons. Fojar38 posted:Everything I can find on the Type 094 is that they haven't begun any operational patrols with it, though they're slated to start this year. Regarding the type 092 I can't find any operational history for it, which makes sense since this is the PLAN, but the US Defense Intelligence Agency lists the Type 092 as not being operational. Perhaps it was at some point, but it seems to no longer be the case. To be honest I'm probably confusing my definition of "patrol" here, although it's partly the authors fault. Known Chinese submarine patrols:  None of these fit the US Navys definition of a "deterrent patrol" although they obviously won't tell us what that is (probably getting within missile range of territory). Maybe an "operational patrol" is the same thing. I don't know, I'm not a military man. Fojar38 posted:Well I'll bet it does when you presume that he must be lying. I'm not saying he's lying, I'm saying some of his information IS biased. He says a PLA unit were so "stressed out" by a simulation exercise that they had to have karaoke machines etc delivered to them. His implication is that they were badly trained and weak and had essentially failed to function as a team and a fighting force. And yet the source he quoted states that the soldiers were locked underground for 72 hours before being subjected to a series of disaster-related exercises and tests to see how it would affect them on a psychological level. Since this experiment wasn't designed to break them but to find out how to alleviate that stress, they sent in karaoke machines, organised movie nights etc. That was the whole point and is what the source says. At day 9 the officers in charge decided the exercise was over and sent in this "culture troupe" which is probably Chinese code for "debriefing". I'm no military man like I said, but I have friends in the British Army and "debriefing" in this sense usually means "deliver them loads of beer". That part of his article is biased. But this is a derail, more maps  edit: The article also says that Chinas aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, broke down after being launched in 2012. It actually completed a 37 day voyage which was hardly surprising considering it had managed a 4 day voyage the year before. The source doesn't even say it broke down. My god. edit2: Oh ffs and he says that the PLA "train by landing on big white sandy beaches that look nothing like the west coast of Taiwan". His source is this:  And this is the first result for GIS "Beach in Taiwan". And they all look like this.  Madness. duckmaster fucked around with this message at 21:12 on May 27, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 20:51
|
|
|
Bring it up here then this discussion is interesting.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 21:06
|
|
|
Honj Steak posted:Finland seems to have the most orchestras per capita. I'm fairly certain that San Marino has the most orchestras per capita.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 21:46
|
|
|
Mu Cow posted:I'm fairly certain that San Marino has the most orchestras per capita. *territorial states only. 
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 21:50
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 18, 2024 06:40 |
|
|
duckmaster posted:Interesting - a google search revealed it was mixed with coffee during the Second World War in Britain to make rations last longer. Also coffee consumption in Britain is still overwhelmingly of the instant variety, which is another leftover of the war as it was the instant coffee sachets of American troops stationed here which started it. BBC story
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2014 21:53
|
|
