BruceVC

Fair enough, I understand this argument and it is reasonable. Its not about unnecessary bashing of wealthy people which seems counterproductive But just to add something else strange about the 1 % statement. Its suppose to represent a good news story about the achieved wealth and journey of certain successful Americans Yet it can become a negative story and people make real and unfair comparisons to financial challengers in there own personal life, so just see it as a positive and legitimate reality of the USA

I hear you, that was my general view of him from what regular members thought about him. One of the things I was confronted with growing up at the end of Apartheid and voting at the age of 18 in the new South Africa is sometimes you will be confronted by people who automatically dislike you or have a negative view of you because of your race and historical events like Apartheid, they assume all white people in South Africa are responsible ...you dont take it personally because its based on real events in our history and you never encounter it from people in RL But in SA people at least give you a reason, for example people who want land reform/expropriation assume all white people stole the land but in SA only 8 % of white people are farmers... But Ktchong wasn't subjected to Apartheid laws and denied an education or a limited one so I would be very surprised if he cant support China based on what he believes. Thats what a debate is, we present our views and people can decide for themselves. I loved debating at school....I was useless at sport so these types of subjects gave me an identity which is important for young people

I am hoping he will respond to this question, for me its not unusual to encounter anti-white sentiment sometimes. Its something I just ignore as it normally lacks historical accuracy and tends be about sweeping generalizations that are impossible to justify But I still would believe ktchong can explain his China view, that should be simple if he is being sincere is his misplaced belief ?

ktchong I normally read yours posts and sometimes I find your views to be anti-white or rather your points dont make sense to me but I think I should be offended but I dont know why ...and sometimes I want to understand what you mean as Im interested in the topic Are you supportive of China in the sense you think it has a better, or rather sustainable economic model than the USA? I almost feel embarrassed to suggest that anyone could make a real comparison with the USA and China. I remember for example you once made a post comparing the level of Media professionalism or knowledge between China media and USA....you suggested China is the better example of good news coverage ...I wanted to comment but I forgot You immediately lose any reasonable debate about comparing China media to any country with a free media as China obviously controls the media narrative within China. It works for them but its not something most people would ever support.....but even more unusual is trying compare state sponsored media integrity to normal media like the USA

I am very sorry for how the conservative, hard line element in Iran unfortunately run the country. To ensure Iran has the progressive and sustainable future for the majority of its citizens this had to be addressed at some stage.....yes you face some real challengers in the next few years but I absolutely believe Iran will come out it with a government that truly believes in the overall well being of all its citizens and spends much less time concerned with ensuring Shia hegemony in the ME But the hardliners will need to go and that is something that creates huge concerns with how this will be done and how to do it effectively Do you mind if if I ask you question and I will understand if you have no opinion on this topic. Do you think its important and necessary for Iran to fund and aid countries in the ME that have large a Shia population. I understand this objective of countering Sunni dominance but its not necessary if you think of possible outcomes as far as what Iran represents. Iran will always be Iran and nothing will change its important history and role it can play in the ME

volo this is a valid observation around the actions and or decisions we see from the Iranian government. There behavior on certain things may seem inconsistent with the outcomes you would assume they would want , in the last 15 years we have seen this but in this case it make sense One of the positive realities about geopolitics nowadays is how many people cannot understand the way Trump thinks or how significant his tweets are as real policies views ....he constantly operates in his own way around presidential decorum and what US presidents do say and or dont say in public. Of course he also has his real positive things he supports and says like his funding for the US military so he isnt all bad but due to his general unorthodox comments and things he says its very hard for most non-English countries where Trump has focused his attention to know when he is being serious about threats and also how to intimidate him This killing of the general was an unexpected move by the USA but definitely not unwarranted or without justification. The USA has never responded to any attack on there soldiers or embassies since 1979.The Iran hardliners response despite all there normal theater, bombast and general anti-American rhetoric is reduced in certain ways but most importantly they dont want to provoke Trump and cause him to now attack Iran directly. So they launched the missiles as a " response " but they were designed and intended to not cause any casualties on purpose. The shooting down of the Ukrainian plane was a mistake .....not surprising considering the tensions in the area

Why do you really want to learn Russian my friend? Are you sweet on a Russian stripper and you want to impress the parents....nothing wrong with that, I have been in the same situation numerous times

This is concerning, its currently been extensively covered by Al Jazeera for those interested and its a good, objective way to follow this development as you see views by numerous people on both sides

You raise some good points but there is a fundamental inconsistency in the argument " that Libya was better off under Gaddafi " Clearly the majority of the actual Libyan citizens disagree with that view because the Arab Spring uprising in Libya was initiated by Libyan tribes unhappy with the dictatorial rule of Gaddafi. The original intervention of the Western bombing campaign was to break the siege of Misrata, the planned attacks on Bhengazi and to prevent the massacre of tens of thousands of Libyan rebels and civilians by Gaddafi forces. The intervention was also the basis for the UN resolution 1973 ( even if you dismiss WIKI links you can use the links below as a basis for other articles outside of wiki links, I am just posting them as reference and convenience ) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_1973 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Misrata https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2011_military_intervention_in_Libya I am not suggesting the Western bombing campaign didn't extend its UN mandate but they didn't cause the original instability and were not responsible for the causes of the Libyan civil war Finally people criticize the West for helping to defeat Gaddafi but then not playing any meaningful role in helping to rebuild the new Libya. But the rebuilding of Libya was never part of the strategy or a realistic expectation for several reasons. Primarily the fact that many of the anti-Gaddafi tribes also didn't like the West so Western countries couldn't be seen as any kind of occupying force after the initial failures of the 2003 invasion of Iraq Compare Syria to Libya now and ask an honest question, what country has a better future or is more likely to be rebuilt in a quicker and more sustainable way? That is my example of what happens when you dont have Western intervention and things are left to be resolved by the likes of Russia or other players

Im genuinely interested in how Silicon Valley is adding to the left being docile? Because its normal to buy PC hardware and software if that is one of your hobbies So in other words how is commercialization of any sector or industry responsible for reducing activism? You can do both ....we can " walk and chew at the same time " as some people say in the South Africa political and social narrative

Zora I was hoping 2020 would be a good year to not be selective and revisionist about geopolitical events and developments For example its patently untrue that the press hasnt reported about the slave markets in Libya, it was CNN who first broke the story with Freedom Project at great personal risk to there own journalists. How else do you think you even know about the Libya slave markets which were mostly controlled by the ISIS faction. Its the same as the slavery we see Boko Haram involved in https://edition.cnn.com/specials/africa/libya-slave-auctions Comments like the media is biased I have always found to be inaccurate due to the fact the media isn't some monolithic entity controlled by the Jews/Illuminate " puppet masters " And finally the entire collapse of Libya was not because of the West. It was a outcome of the Arab Spring and the fact Gaddafi, like Assad, refused to allow all his citizens to be part of the economy or share in any kind of economic transformation. This is on them, not the Western intervention

Gorthfuscious I am assuming the general view is that the severity of these types of fires are due to climate change and this is now a reality that going forward the country has to contend with What are the strategies and ideas that government and civil society have come up with to reduce the damage and length of these disasters, I have heard massive fire breaks is one solution ?

Nah, Obama didn't lose election. Obamas final approval raring was 60 % percent so despite the general anti-Obama sentiment on this forum more Americans liked him and his views and policies than disliked him. I am a huge supporter of Obama because of the reality of the USA when he became president and what he had to address. He left the USA in a much better place than when he became president, I do accept certain domestic and foreign policies he implemented or tried to implement were well meaning but misplaced https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/president-obama-final-approval-rating-60-poll-shows-article-1.2949260 There were 2 primary reasons Trump won Hilary Clinton simply wasnt the right candidate for several reasons There was a real concern that the USA was going in both a political and social direction that was not what many Americans believed or rather supported. This meant many Trump supporters found solace and real identity in what Trump stands for. Never forget Ktchong no one chooses to be born a certain race, its fine to be white. I have no issue with my race and we decide for ourselves how we live our lives and treat others. We should have an understanding of the past and we can have views around addressing perceived historical injustices but we not defined by it I do think there is a real chance Trump can win in 2020 but that is because I am not convinced with the overall Democratic message and I am very concerned with the far left views of the likes of Warren and Sanders. It also cannot be denied the overall strength and growth of the USA economy under Trump which will add to his election story I still maintain Biden is the best Democratic candidate to beat Trump and hopefully he wins the Democratic nomination

I had a very eventful and enjoyable NY night. Firstly the lunchtime restaurant we went to on the 31 was amazing, its offerings and quality of off cut meat really didnt disappoint. It had rustic decor which was part of the charm and ambiance. Massive portions of food but extremely tasty, they also had numerous drink specials where you get 4 tots for the price of 2 on all spirits that included Brandy and Whiskey Then the Mexican restuarant which was the main event also was great, they has a live band which played Spanish music from about 10 pm which added to the vibe. This particular restaurant obviously also had a massive Tequila selection. I love Tequila which suited me fine but this also created the only real problem for me of the evening, The manager focused on our table particularly to offer us free and different Tequilas, some of course we paid for but we had at least 3-4 free But then he came to me personally with a unique " Ghost pepper Tequila " which is suppose to be hotter than the hottest measurement of the chili Scoville rating. I have never understood, or really respected it, the Scoville rating system for heat in chili's because it seems to jump around a lot to values in the millions but basically he said to me this is extreme heat contained in the shooter. He let us dip our finger in a bit of the Tequila to sample it I was inebriated at this stage of the evening but in a very good way and full of Dutch courage and it really didnt seem that hot....I decided to have one. He asked me to sign an indemnity form which I did and then I downed the Tequila.... What a mistake it was. 30 seconds later I started sweating and I had to rush to the toilet to down about a litre of water, I returned to the table but for the next 20 minutes my entire body and stomach felt like it was literally on fire It literally sobered me up and almost ruined my appetite I will never do that again and learned an important lesson about not eating food or drinking something on that heat level because the experience was not pleasant at all

Happy NY everyone Here is to a great and prosperous 2020

True Communists reject such frivolous things as horoscopes.....dont be be fooled by the attempts of evil Western, Capitalist, Imperial, neo-Colonial countries to control your destiny ....its all a lie to ensure Capital controls the world and prevents you from leaning the truth

Okay so we decided what our NY plans are going to be today, For lunch today I have found this very interesting restaurant that specializes in off cuts of meat, the restaurant is called Bosveld. Its basically a traditional Afrikaans\Dutch eatery but they have some very unusual items on there menu like tripe, kidneys and even sheeps head. For example I am going to order for starters the Lamb Tripe and Trotters ...check the menu out for those interested in unusual food http://www.bosvelder.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Untitled-1.pdf The funny part is none of my friends going with me eat off cuts of meat....but they can order steaks and ribs if they want Then we going to a Mexican theme restaurant\bar in the early evening for the main NY party and dinner. They going to arrange a DJ so the night will be combination of great music, Tequilas and general NY revelry

Volo are you sure we talking about the same Witcher HBO TV series we talking about ? What version did you watch, I think you referring to the pirated Canadian\French version....its not the same as the proper one What language were the characters speaking......if its not English than its not the correct one ?

Never ever forget the benefits of your shift work ......remember the free and endless coffee

I am in JHB now and staying with my mom and stepdad, its been great seeing them again because I havent seen them in person for the last 8 months. I use to get really annoyed with my mom when I lived in JHB over small things but thats all behind me now and suddenly the small things that use to frustrate me around her comments and mannerisms dont bother me anymore I am also looking forward to seeing my friends over NY and partaking in the NY celebrations and revelry

I should have mentioned this earlier but the scope and scale of these fires are really concerning and much more serious than most people outside of Oz realize, I have family members and friends who immigrated to Australia and they have been updating us to the reality on the ground I see they have been ravaging parts of the country since September. I also agree with banning the fireworks over NY purely as an symbolic gesture in sympathy of what the country is going through but not from the financial cost of the NY celebration. And finally I am glad the fire fighters are getting extra money for there herculean efforts My thoughts are with you

TN you cant be serious, there is nothing wrong with your country being referred to as Holland? Remember people and particularly tourists place great credence in symbolism and for many people Netherlands is a.....complicated name Also the article says " The change of image was part of a renewed tourism strategy that aims to put an end to large numbers of visitors on cheap flights, particularly to Amsterdam, and promote more sustainable and respectful travel "...what do they mean by respectful travel? Many tourists only visit Netherlands for the liberal and open culture. The red light districts and cannabis culture is what we want to experience...you guys mustn't throw the " baby out with the bath water " in a well meaning but misguided attempt to change perceptions that frankly dont need to be changed for majority of tourists For example how would you market Netherlands outside of what I mentioned ?

I also prefer more focus on Geralt, I dont mind the Ciri story arc but I dont want that to be the primary aspect of the broader narrative In fact I am going to play the " its sexism and discrimination against men " card to focus on Ciri in a saga where the protagonist is a male

My dad since retiring from investment banking is now dedicated to leaving what he considers is a real legacy and he is really committed to conservation and addressing issues like climate change. He always says to us " people keep saying we must save the planet but the planet doesnt need saving, climate change is about saving humans or ensuring we have an enduring and sustainable future for our children "

Sounds delicious, I just need your address and what time I should arrive and we all set for a great meal And please at least let me provide the alcohol, I always like to contribute