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Google to close engineering office in Russia

reuters.com

271–280 of 308 posts

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#271
post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The founder of Huawei was in the PLA, and this is often used to bash the company. Why is it ok to serve country A, B, C and then go into business... but if you serve country X,Y,Z you're suddenly untrustworthy? What next? Make business decisions based upon the sexual preferences of the CEO?

McDonald’s CEO, James Skinner, is interesting. I like their chicken mcNuggets, but I am always aware that their CEO is US-Navy trained, and maintains a good relation with armed forces. Seriously though, everybody was China is PLA - it doesn't mean anything. Back in the day, PLA is one of the few ways to get an education and not be a farmer.

On a semi-serious note, McDonald's is positioned at major intersections in nearly every city and town in the United States.

If you wanted to go full-militarized police state, locking down all the major intersections seems like something you'd want to do.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#272
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Russia is only a threat to its own citizens and border countries who are not members of NATO. The West was bringing Russia closer, now that trust is gone and will take a long time to repair.

>>The West was bringing Russia closer As part of bringing Russia closer, the West decided to shred Russia of its defense interests inherited from the Soviet Union. There was a systematic attack by the West on Russia's interests in Central Asia, Georgia, Syria, and now Ukraine. You can only bait the bear for so long until it bites you back.

You can only bait the bear for so long until it bites you back.

But he isn't "biting back" at the West. He's biting on the bones of thousands of civilians (of all nationalities) killed in Ukraine. And hundreds of his own soldiers, sent illegally (by Russia's own laws) to fight in a war beyond its borders.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#273
post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You falsely equated the actions of a few berserk local cops in the US with the Putin regime. You need people to twist your words so that you don't look like an idiot or worse.

It is just ignorant to be unaware of the scale of police brutality in the United States. Educate yourself.

Police brutality in the US is a problem. It doesn't compare to the slaughter of millions under the former USSR, or the complete shut-down of all freedom of speech and freedom of the press under Putin.

If the US were anything like Russia, we couldn't be having this conversation on a heavily trafficked web site like HN located within the US. The US still has the greatest level of freedom of speech of any nation on earth, and the strongest speech protections, even after some of the recent erosion.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Zurich = Central location in Europe, natives speak multiple languages, science and R&D already there (pharmaceutical).

Also, Switzerland being in the Schengen area means they can recruit from any other Schengen country -- more-or-less the EU minus Britain and Ireland, plus Iceland, Switzerland and Norway -- without needing to get work visas or any other right-to-work documentation.

Schengen is about border controls for transportation, it doesn't mean a permit to work in itself automatically. Rather, it's because Switzerland is a member of EFTA. The UK isn't one of the Schengen countries, for example, but they can still work in Switzerland.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#275
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>The West was bringing Russia closer As part of bringing Russia closer, the West decided to shred Russia of its defense interests inherited from the Soviet Union. There was a systematic attack by the West on Russia's interests in Central Asia, Georgia, Syria, and now Ukraine. You can only bait the bear for so long until it bites you back.

The bear is rabid but toothless and can be largely ignored except for their actions Ukraine, in which they laughably pretend they are not involved.

Not just toothless, but soon to be insolvent. It should only take another 12 to 18 months with oil below $60 or $70, to thoroughly crash the Russian economy and deplete their reserves (the share of their reserves they can actually use). At that point they'll either effectively capitulate, or they'll instigate a greater war.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, Switzerland being in the Schengen area means they can recruit from any other Schengen country -- more-or-less the EU minus Britain and Ireland, plus Iceland, Switzerland and Norway -- without needing to get work visas or any other right-to-work documentation.

Schengen is about border controls for transportation, it doesn't mean a permit to work in itself automatically. Rather, it's because Switzerland is a member of EFTA. The UK isn't one of the Schengen countries, for example, but they can still work in Switzerland.

I guess I'm mistaken then. I thought freedom of movement, including for work, was covered under the Schengen agreement's visa policies.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#277
post #220
post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your country was of enormous help to Hitler while attacking the USSR, and the retribution you had to "endure", given everything you did, was astonishingly mild. So spare me your complaints.

> given everything you did Man, it's 2014, the people that did anything in WW2 on both sides are long dead. And in the context of that time, "the Allies" included Stalin's Russia (read some history, this tyrant killed more of his own people than there were victims of Hitler's holocaust!), so choosing to support Hitler's Germany against an alliance that included Russia was not necessarily a bad idea at that that time,…

You don't have to be a centenarian to have fought in WWII. Plenty of them around. Stalin killing fascists was a good thing. You are retelling a good story but the West, always working on its narrative, does not tell the truth. And Japan and Italy? Axis powers were trying to join the imperialist game of u.s. and britain of land grabbing colonies. Hence WWII was an inter-imperialist war. After WWII you get many Third World countries trying to break away from Western puppet governments, colonialism, by flying the red flag.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And what makes you think US would have treated Romania better? Please read more about history. Your ignorance is common. For every bad thing Russia did there is an equally bad thing US did. Same goes for any other 2 countries. It's everyone for himself.

When did the US annex 1/3 of Latin America? There's no sane comparison to be made between the US and its neighbors, and what the Soviet Union did to Europe. The US - Canadian border for a century was the largest, basically unguarded border in world history. Wake me up when the US invades Canada and starts annexing territory.

You must be joking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_annexation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covert_United_States_foreign_re... "A decades long civil war ensued in which some 200,000 people were killed, mostly by the US backed military" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Pigs_Invasion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Brazilian_coup_d%27%C3%A9t... "The coup subjected Brazil to a military regime politically aligned to the interests of the United States government" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Chilean_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat

Too many to dig up.

"Under the Reagan Doctrine, the United States provided overt and covert aid to anti-communist guerrillas and resistance movements in an effort to "roll back" Soviet-backed communist governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America"

Are you awake yet?

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#279
post #200
post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you just compare a minor being told that homosexuality is okay to having sex with an adult? And as I've said earlier, that basically prevents any public promotion.

The logical structure of the two arguments is the same. I don't want my kids to be exposed to public promotion of any sexual lifestyle. In fact I don't even want them to see a blurred photo of Kim Kardashian's naked butt on TV. LGBT community can rent out a conference center and hold the rally there, advertising it publicly and denying minors access to the premises. This is perfectly legal under today's LGBT laws in…

LGBT community can rent out a conference center and hold the rally there, advertising it publicly and denying minors access to the premises. This is perfectly legal under today's LGBT laws in Russia.

But can they kiss in public? Or hold hands, even?

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's interesting to note that that the Eurovision song contest includes Russia, Israel and central Asian states, including even Azerbaijan. Perhaps this is an example of soft power projection from the EU "project" of a political union and the creation of a supra-national state...

Azerbaijan is not in Central Asia, it's on Caucasus.

You may be right. It's often described as being at the cross roads of east and west. It's north of both Iraq and Iran which for most people would not be Europe.
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