u/IntellectuallyDriven

A governance system that is ai from top to button with no humans only to supervise that it doesn't off track but with no governance decision roles besides that which is in the law books and only to input in into the ai system for it to implement it and it can only be implemented if it passes all guidelines. Basically, a system that fallows the law 100%. What are your thoughts on this?

A governance system that is ai from top to button with no humans only to supervise that it doesn't off track but with no governance decision roles besides that which is in the law books and only to input in into the ai system for it to implement it and it can only be implemented if it passes all guidelines. Basically, a system that fallows the law 100%. What are your thoughts on this?

In the Philippines, diesel prices have more than doubled, cooking gas have almost doubled and pretty much everything else is affected.

How about in China?

Prices of what have increased for the average citizen, and by how much?

How much would you say the war has affected the average person in China?

Are people talking about it? What is being said?

You might have seen the "Beauty pageantry" post I'd posted here not long ago...

https://preview.redd.it/893w5ob0iawg1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=56b2e77dd16ba7ed8e40b4814946cfbdb9008f6f

Well, today I was was reading a post by a foreigner and the comments were, as usual, just not in congruence with what was being said in the post; it was being misunderstood like in that way that someone (Filipinos in this case) would misunderstand what the foreigner meant...Different wavelengths...Different frequency... One is AM, the other FM type of deal.

And then there's this other post that had a lot of upvotes, but literally all the comments were... disapproving. The post (by a foreigner) was talking negatively about foreigners (Filipinos LOVE that) and the comments (almost all by foreigners) were all against the post...but despite that...the upvotes on the post was unusually high. Apply a little logic and you're deduce... If all the foreigners were downvoting, yet the post's votes was in the positive, that means there is a greater opposing force. In other words, if the sub was all foreigners, the post's votes would have been in the negative. Btw, I commented on it "sounds about blck", but Redditors don't like facts evidently.

Anyway, this is typical here and many of you already know it.

So an idea came to my head. I thought "what if I posted that beauty pageantry post, in the Philippines sub, and see how many recognize it?" I never posted it anywhere else so if anyone recognized it, it'd mean they'd seen it here, which in turn would mean they are active here too.

Literally 2 mins after posting it, I get...

https://preview.redd.it/mbhqwbkhiawg1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=8bd2e359d6a7fa93415035644a24fc6304717b26

A min later...

https://preview.redd.it/txr2wkrjiawg1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=c81db6cf47436930d1b54d8009d931f4eaad9d7e

And...

https://preview.redd.it/6g6c6gamiawg1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=785c608511e2ee5882a9c75e460e6d458b85a9d2

This one is interesting. I was wondering if my post was maybe shared in the Philippines sub. I'd checked (there is a trick to do that... change the "www" to "old" and "comments" to "duplicates" in the link)...but it wasn't. I searched using key words on the sub but nothing came up. So I though I find out by asking baiting this commenter. The bait worked and just like I thought, it was all of them that were from here.

https://preview.redd.it/crz82reoiawg1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=405d7a8fc16c21a7d13d34c0a32f9a7f7a4e47fc

I understand that posts from here show on people's feed. However, even if you accounted for that, that sub has OVER 3.5 million users...THREE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND. From that humongous populace, for the first ones to see the post to be the ones from here tells you that there are crazy amount of Filipinos here. And not only that, but 40% of the commenters on the post were ones from here who saw the post. That means there is likelihood that from the remaining are those that are also from here but didn't see the post. If we said just 1% are here then we are talking about 35,000. Yes, not all 3.5 million are active users... BUT! even if we said 10% of the 1%... that's 3,500. Still a HUGE number, at least relative to the amount of foreigners (aka: expats). And then there's those not from there.

Bottom line, a lot might come here and read stuff on here and form an impression about foreigners in the Philippines based on the content here, when in fact, what they are seeing and reading is more likely than not, NOT an accurate representation of expats in the Philippines...especially when a great many of the Filipinos here are pretending to be foreigners, like you can see here:

https://preview.redd.it/soiwvzdviawg1.png?width=670&format=png&auto=webp&s=648dabd07ae68ab78ba6b3ab8b52761eb6f52c09

Or here...and here.

Well, that's it for today folks! Thank you for tuning in and don't forget to joint us next time for another episode of the telenovela: Otto Estoco 🤟

1. Both enshrine Islamic law (Sharia) as the primary foundation of their legal and judicial systems.
2. Both lack multi‑party parliamentary democracy and restrict political pluralism.
3. Both centralize high‑level authority in a small leadership elite (guardian‑jurists and Supreme Leader in Iran; royal family in Saudi Arabia).
4. Both tightly control key institutions such as the judiciary, security forces, and religious establishments.
5. Both instrumentalize religious identity and clerical bodies to legitimize state rule.
6. Both heavily restrict civil‑political freedoms (speech, assembly, press).
7. Both are rentier states heavily dependent on oil and gas revenues to fund government and social subsidies.
8. Both use state‑controlled media and education systems to promote regime‑approved narratives of national and religious identity.
9. Both maintain strong security and intelligence apparatuses to monitor and suppress perceived domestic dissent.
10. Both practice a high degree of centralized decision‑making, with major policy choices concentrated in a narrow circle of leaders.
11. Both tolerate or sponsor loyal religious authorities while marginalizing or repressing independent clerics and religious critics.
12. Both place significant limits on opposition parties, independent civil‑society organizations, and non‑governmental political activity.
13. Both frame regional foreign policy in part through a self‑perceived Islamic leadership role (e.g., Saudi custodianship of holy sites, Iranian "Islamic resistance" axis).
14. Both combine formal institutions (councils, parliament, courts) with parallel informal structures that hold de‑facto power behind the scenes.

So basically, in terms of political system and governance and even societal structure, they are similar.

YET! One is a very peaceful society with a population that is seemingly content with their government, while the other is in the midst of a brutal revolution.

The only variable and distinguishing factor that I can perceive is the US's relationship with them; favorable with one and not with the other.

Therefore, would it be accurate to presume that had the US's relationship with Iran been as good as it is with the GCC countries, Iran's society would be just as prosperous and harmonious with the same current regime (given the regime isn't more extractive and predatory)?

1. Both enshrine Islamic law (Sharia) as the primary foundation of their legal and judicial systems.
2. Both lack multi‑party parliamentary democracy and restrict political pluralism.
3. Both centralize high‑level authority in a small leadership elite (guardian‑jurists and Supreme Leader in Iran; royal family in Saudi Arabia).
4. Both tightly control key institutions such as the judiciary, security forces, and religious establishments.
5. Both instrumentalize religious identity and clerical bodies to legitimize state rule.
6. Both heavily restrict civil‑political freedoms (speech, assembly, press).
7. Both are rentier states heavily dependent on oil and gas revenues to fund government and social subsidies.
8. Both use state‑controlled media and education systems to promote regime‑approved narratives of national and religious identity.
9. Both maintain strong security and intelligence apparatuses to monitor and suppress perceived domestic dissent.
10. Both practice a high degree of centralized decision‑making, with major policy choices concentrated in a narrow circle of leaders.
11. Both tolerate or sponsor loyal religious authorities while marginalizing or repressing independent clerics and religious critics.
12. Both place significant limits on opposition parties, independent civil‑society organizations, and non‑governmental political activity.
13. Both frame regional foreign policy in part through a self‑perceived Islamic leadership role (e.g., Saudi custodianship of holy sites, Iranian "Islamic resistance" axis).
14. Both combine formal institutions (councils, parliament, courts) with parallel informal structures that hold de‑facto power behind the scenes.

So basically, in terms of political system and governance and even societal structure, they are similar.

YET! One is a very peaceful society with a population that is seemingly content with their government, while the other is in the midst of a brutal revolution.

The only variable and distinguishing factor that I can perceive is the US's relationship with them; favorable with one and not with the other.

Therefore, would it be accurate it presume that had the US's relationship with Iran been as good as it is with the GCC countries, Iran's society would be just as prosperous and harmonious with the same current regime (given the regime isn't more extractive and predatory)?

Those critical thinking inclined will see where the problem is... The majority, however, will not (unfortunately), and henceforth this post shall also meet its inevitable ironic fate.

Famous university vet school/clinic. Got online, to their website, to get the department's number. Call the number...wrong number. Spend some time googlfuing and ai gymnastics to get other numbers or mobile numbers of anyone in the department... No go. Found another number, and indeed a mobile number, but the number was also wrong (or disconnected) and the mobile number... can't remember, I think disconnected too. Called the university information, asked them to connect me, they say to hold...holding...holding...holding...disconnected. Call back, they say "hay! just a moment". Hold for more time this time, but same result... I get disconnected. Call back again and ask if I could just get their number and they give me the same number I got that doesn't work. I tell them that and they say that's the only number they got. I ask if there is anyone in the department they know that they could give me their number... Nope. Ask if there is anything that can be done for me to reach them... Nope. I press. They put me on hold...come back and tell me to try that number again. Umm, how is it miraculously going to come alive if it's dead? But of course, I don't say that. I repeat that it's not working. They are thinking, but really actually just thinking how to end the call. They apologize because that's the only number they got. I thank them and hang up.

I check my email for the 10th time to see if maybe the 5th follow up email did the trick. No reply...not from the vet school, or from any of the CCed.

Many days later, in a last ditch effort, I call information again and ask in the most polite manner I could muster if they could just pop into the department and check for me as I am far away to visit myself. But just like I feared, people can be amazingly politely cold hearted when there is nothing in it for them.

With no other choice left, I fill'er up and commence the journey several cities away.

I get there and the department is buzzing like a hive. Busy as hell! Customers, animals, doctors, staff, students...everywhere. A staff member approaches...I ask... they say "just a moment"...doctor approaches..."oh I'm sorry, that's not available."

So here I am, half way back home, sitting in a coffee shop, wondering why everything has to be designed in a way that makes you lose the most time money and energy when not doing so is actually easier AND more beneficial to ALL parties involved.