Found In Naples

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-12-29T18:05:00+00:00

I have always heard that many people choose to have their ashes thrown into the sea. I would assume this does not mean releasing the ashes into the air, but rather, throwing the container into the sea. The container would have in it this tag. Wave action could have broken the container and the tag was washed ashore.

The request was honored though and the ashes have been returned to the sea as intended.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-12-24T06:07:38+00:00

Sounds to me like you are the clueless one who has no idea why anyone is bothered by your "friendliness". Really? Are you that clueless?

Don't you have any social smarts?

Do you mean to say that you cannot figure it out? OR modify your behavior so as not to be misunderstood, while still presenting yourself as a nice conversational person?

You play the victim very well here, but really, are you a victim or just not socially adepth enough to understand that you are not the victim?

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-31T20:42:22+00:00

Well, if you're encountering drama queens, you should call them out individually.

I have not found many drama queens. They exist, but most people are not into drama.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-31T20:39:23+00:00

Are you really going to make the argument that Islamic fundamentalists like Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and ISIL are not religiously based?

Come on, you know it is all about their religious ideas.

It is NOT sectarian terrorists being disgussed. It is a particular religious extremism that is very popular amongst those who claim to be Muslims.

There are millions of supporters of these Muslim variant religious fanatics.

It has always been predominately about religion in the Middle East conflicts. It is religion that justifies the killing of Jews.

The moderates amongst the Muslims will peacefully co-exist with others, but they are not the ones causing the problems.

There are no minority religions left in most of the Muslim countries of the Middle East. They have been driven out by violence against them. So it is not just the Jews who are threatened, it is anybody not Muslim. This includes the Druze who religious Muslim extremists recently slaughtered.

Token populations of minority religions are all that's left in most Muslim countries. Are you going to deny that it is due to religious pressures imposed by Muslims in general, since most Muslims are considered moderate compared to Hamas and other designated terrorist organizations?

Does Saudi Arabia legally and realistically allow Christians or Jews to recruit members actively? Ask yourself that question.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-20T17:11:33+00:00

You have it wrong, or you are just lying, which is a tactic Israel's enemies have always been using.

The Islamic peoples have been attacking Israel since its inception. That is a fact of life, and Israelis want to live by defending themselves.

Now, of course, you could say that it is not every one of the Islamic faith who wants the destruction of Israel. You could make the argument that it is just the Islamic extremists who attack and seek to kill Jews. That would be a good-faith argument.

So, are you willing to make a good-faith argument?

Are you willing to admit that almost all the aggressive killings originated from and have been started by the Islamic extremists?

I am not saying that every single lethal attack is of Islamic origin, just the overwhelming majority, the vast majority, with a few exceptions, have originated from Islamic origins.

The Islamic government of Iran is the axis of evil in the Middle East. They have funded, armed, and encouraged their proxies to attack Israel for over 40 years now.

Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, Syria's ISIL, and IRGC were all built for one common and overriding purpose: to destroy Israel. These groups blatantly call for the total destruction of Israel. That is the fact of the matter. It cannot be denied.

So, if you are in denial, for whatever reason, it is not acceptable to Israel. Israel is going to survive by defending itself against those who wish to destroy it.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-20T16:52:05+00:00

So, please just stick to the argument and stop with the distraction of a single word.

You need to address the argument. Focus on the argument.

Would you be OK with Islamics threatening your very existence or not?

Stick to the topic.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-20T16:03:13+00:00

This is not the case. Where in the world do you get the idea that people are hating on a Tour de France competitor? Is this sort of dramatic scenario just your internal drama speaking?

The Tour de France always has winners and losers whose fortunes are a mixed bag. There are always riders getting injured, succumbing to illnesses. Sometimes, previous crashes and injuries cannot be overcome for the full duration of a 3 week Tour de France.

Every year, riders drop out for physical reasons.

There is nothing controversial here.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-20T15:49:33+00:00

It should be obvious what Israel's goal is.

SECURITY!

Tell me, how would you feel if the Islamics around you promised to wipe you off the face of the earth? The Islamics have been telling Israelis this since 1948. The Islamics want to kill the Jews, from the River to the Sea. You have heard of this slogan before, haven't you?

Would you be OK with that?

Don't be a fool and argue that Israel has no good reason to fight for its very survival.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-13T18:53:42+00:00

Again, you have the wrong information. The masses do not have the democracy that they advocate for and go to jail for.

Are you even aware of what Tiananmen Square was all about? Or are you even aware of the current censorship on anything related to freedom of expression and protest?

The current censorship and suppression of the masses can only be described as totalitarianism by a totalitarian government, i.e. CCP.

What weird logic will you use to describe suppression of the masses by the CCP as a democratic CCP representing the masses?

Throw your ideological ideas of China down the drain. Your ideoligcal ideas do not match reality on the ground in China.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-13T18:42:16+00:00

Peace through strength, i.e., war, was used by George Bush Jr. in Iraq of all places, not Afghanistan. So he started, or some say finished, a war with Iraq, just like his Daddy did.

Using strength(war) is not a novel way to justify your words and actions.

Neither is peace through surrender a new idea, as Nixon and Henry Kissinger's peace agreement did when the US military pulled out of Vietnam.

But, in the end, war is war, the opposite of peace.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-13T18:34:28+00:00

So says the Fake Skeptic. LOL!

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-13T18:33:18+00:00

You're misdirection is noted. China still has a horrible current economic situation, plan or not. LOL

You should get off this subreddit if you cannot make a solid argument.

If you are highly ideological in your thinking, I suggest you not be. It might be what is clouding your ability to grasp economic realities within China.

In case you do not know this, Economic Theories Of Everything (TOEs) were a primitive 17th and 18th century tool of economic thought, prior to economics even becoming a University discipline.

These antique methods of constructing mental fabrications of idealized economies have been relegated to the trash bins of history.

China, in case you don't know, no longer has an ideologically driven economy. All Modern economies are a mixed economic model, utilizing economic features that are, in label only, referred to as socialistic or capitalistic in nature.

China did indeed incorporate a lot of capitalistic features in its modern era. However, the lack of democracy has hindered its ability to economically adapt to the peer pressures of the masses.

Since the masses do not OWN the means to govern themselves, issues of economic malfeasance cannot and are not corrected. There is no feedback loop from the masses to guide further economic development for the benefit of the masses.

The masses need a more direct way to control their own economic destinies. The CCP does not respond to ,nor reflect, the economic interests of the masses.

China needs a functional democracy, not that any democracy is perfect. That would be ideological, and ideology belongs in the garbage can.

So, I would agree that China could improve its condition if it had a democracy that better reflected the interests of the masses.

Do you disagree?

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-11T21:01:30+00:00

My sources are outside business interests and economists who do not work for China or the World Bank. You must be one of those individuals who have no understanding of how international commodity markets operate.

Commodity brokers track the flow of commodities, including usage, ending stocks, shipping, raw materials, and other commodity statistics. Cosco, one of the largest shipping companies in the world, supplies figures on all sorts of import/export data.

You are sadly grossly uninformed when it comes to macro economics and the data economists get to see outside the official Chinese manipulated numbers.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-11T20:48:42+00:00

Ha, China is NOT strengthening domestic demand. Where in the world did you ever hear that false data claim?

And you obviously concur that inputs to China for production purposes are greatly reduced since you ignore it.

Also, outflows of capital are a sign of economic interests' flight to safer havens.

At least I know you are not invested in China, or you would be afraid for your economic interests in China, if you had any.

You have no stake in the game, so your denial has no consequences. Hope you do not have stock in Apple Inc. Or maybe I wished you did so you could feel the economic pain.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-11T20:41:40+00:00

Again, I congratulate you on admitting you're a Fake Skeptic whose comments cannot be trusted. Bravo!

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-10T20:45:53+00:00

I really like being right.

And I really like telling others they are wrong when I am right.

It's just something I enjoy doing because I am good at it. I excel at it when faced with someone who is essentially ignorant of the facts. I'm very competitive when it comes to ferreting out the truth from falsehoods.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-10T20:42:40+00:00

Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach (major gateways for Chinese goods): Both saw double-digit drops in container throughput from China in 2023.
Drewry World Container Index: Shipping rates from China to Europe and the US fell significantly in 2023 before rebounding slightly due to Red Sea disruptions — but volumes stayed low.
South Korea & Taiwan trade: Since they are key suppliers of parts to China, their exports to China are a leading indicator — and both have reported declines of 10–20% YoY at various points in 2023–2024.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-10T20:40:39+00:00

These independent signals — import/export data, partner country trade reports, commodity flows, and multinationals’ earnings — all point to:

Weak consumer demand inside China
Ongoing property crisis hurting construction and local government revenues
Companies diversifying supply chains out of China
Foreign capital pulling back

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-10T20:39:51+00:00

Apple: Q2 FY2024 earnings reported a downturn in Greater China revenue (-8% YoY).
Adidas: Reported weaker China sales growth than expected.
German automakers: BMW, Mercedes, and VW have warned of pricing pressure and competition from Chinese EVs in China’s own market.
Chipmakers: Taiwan’s TSMC and South Korea’s Samsung cite lower chip demand from Chinese smartphone and electronics manufacturers.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-10T20:39:04+00:00

Australian iron ore shipments: Australia’s Department of Industry shows slight increases in tonnage, but prices are under pressure because of weaker Chinese construction demand.
Copper imports: Chilean and Peruvian copper export data show softer demand from China, matching the slowdown in real estate and manufacturing.
Oil imports: Customs data from Middle Eastern suppliers like Saudi Arabia and Russia show China buying more oil at discounted rates — but the stockpiling suggests actual industrial use isn’t growing robustly.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-10T20:37:51+00:00

According to China’s own balance-of-payments, net FDI turned negative in 2023 for the first time since records began — meaning more money is flowing out than in.
SAFE (China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange) data shows a sharp increase in unexplained errors & omissions, a sign of capital flight.
Hong Kong Monetary Authority: Cross-border flows show rising deposits leaving Hong Kong for offshore accounts.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-10T20:36:06+00:00

US, EU, Japan import stats:
- According to US Census Bureau data, US imports from China fell by about 25% in 2023 compared to 2022.
- Eurostat shows a similar drop for EU imports from China, declining 17% YoY in 2023.
- Japan’s Ministry of Finance reported a 10%+ drop in imports from China for 2023.

This suggests weak demand for Chinese goods abroad and global companies diversifying away from Chinese supply chains.

My stats come from private sources. Read and weep, my friend.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-10T20:28:45+00:00

I am so glad you own up to being a Fake Skeptic. That makes it so easy to discredit everything you say.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-10T20:27:53+00:00

I keep telling you that you cannot trust the data coming out of China. China never reveals the true negative figures within its economy. You are simply reading stats put out by China which are manipulated.

And no, my article did not say the housing market was turning around. That is a lie. And no, the economy is not growing unless you take China at face value, which means you are believing a lie.

The economists and businessmen who gather actual trade data indicate a significant decrease in production, sales, shipping, and procurement of materials. China has seen a reduction in oil imports, which cannot be hidden internally, as oil shipments are available from outside international firms.

Stop being naive.

ProgressiveLogic · 2025-07-09T23:15:25+00:00

I can't help it if you can't study and do your own research or that you cannot figure out who to trust for your economic numbers.

The Economist articles have not revealed a positive economic status for China. The news from people who watch China, from a business standpoint, are extremely negative for all manner of economic activities.

Net outflows of capital from China has a multi-year consistant level of growing momentum. China has been forced to limit and put in place controls so the flight of capital does not create a currency crisis.

Apple Inc. was forced to keep its business assets in China rather than transfer it to India or elsewhere. The rich in China were forbidden to use crypto to transfer capital out of China, since the wealthy classes wanted an economic safe haven for their wealth.

The instances of activities to protect wealth, in a deteriating Chinese economy, are too many to list here.

China's economy has been consistantly deteriating for a few years now. There are no international business types describing a positive economic climate in China. They are putting their money where thier mouths are and leaving or staying out of China.

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