BruceVC

They dont need to really lie about Trump, he normally does controversial and offensive things

I haven't been following the European refugee crisis that much due to real life and stuff. So when I had a spare moment, I decided to sit down and read some things about it and one country in particular (Sweden) kept coming up with some alarming statistics and various other things. I then went back over the last 6 months or so of news reports and interviews, concentrating more on Sweden and comparing to other countries (eg. Norway, FInland) are handling the situation in their countries as well. This is all on the internet and the information is out there. But I think you are right in that if someone brings up Sweden and say it appears they have massive problems, people are now like 'huh, watcha talkin about? haven't heard anything about Sweden, so what's the problem?'. Or they're so used to the problems in countries like Sweden and become desensitised to it all that it's now become normal. No Hiro.....lets be fair. It has some societal and integration issues But to say the problems are massive is hyperbole....remember we want to keep things in perspective

According to Elerond and Bruce, no major problems at all. Nothing to see here folks. Move along. Ask Indira....then you can get an informed view about Sweden. But I think what we know you may assume is serious but we dont ?

Not making them headlines makes sense, apparently SA has got 2 new awards . We are both the murder capital ( 50/day ) and rape capital (350/day ) in the world Now why would you want this information on the front page....its inevitable this crime every day so rather keep it on older pages And yes becoming desentisized is the best way to feel, its not like you dont have emotions but you just dont feel fear or worry. So you go about your life. Its fine and you wont worry so its a good place to be at

Hi Indira darling "waves " Where have you been? We have missed you ....lots of news to tell you, I'm doing really very well on these forums building sustainable relationships that matter ....only 10 or people ignore me If you want and have time I want you to read a long assessment Longknife wrote about me ...please excuse LK utter lack of brevity .....he is truly unable to make a point without subjecting everyone to paragraphs of true grandiloquence ..but this post is worth reading because its horribly wrong

But Volo lets be honest, everyone thinks the Canadian accent sounds weird ..its like you trying to imitate an American Maybe thats the solution...change your accent to sound American?

That's not exactly what I meant. There is two things to look at here. First, hard work and dedication are indeed essential to get anywhere in life... unless you are born into a wealthy family. For the overwhelming majority of mankind, that's not what happens, so you gotta work. However, hard work and dedication are not a guarantee of anything. For some, it's not even a guarantee of a decent living. How many exactly is "some" depends on where you're looking, but globally it's billions. Any factors beyond hard work and dedication are outside of your control. For most people, hard work is a necessary condition, but not sufficient. The rest boils down to luck. Now, while I don't doubt that you know of people who started at the bottom and have triumphed, that's exceedingly rare. Looking at economic mobility research, US-specific, the odds of striking rich aren't good: "The "rags to riches" story is much more common in Hollywood than on Main Street. Only 6 percent of children born to parents with family income at the very bottom move to the very top." http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2007/11/generations-isaacs You can't just dismiss 94% of those born into the bottom-earning bracket as just lazy, no matter what the Donald might say. Now, it's patently ridiculous to think that everyone has a right to be rich, or that everyone would even want to be. But outside of selected anecdotal evidence, why do you believe that, even if you had put in at least the same amount of work as the people in your examples, you would have gotten anywhere near where they did? Is it possible to succeed despite the odds? Yes. Does it take hard work and dedication? Sure, among other things. In this sense, one can consider themselves to be "self-made", even if that ignores the millenia of societal progress that has afforded "self-made" men the opportunities to succeed rather than just hunt for food or starve. For each of these "self-made" men, millions have just gotten by, and some not even that, despite putting in the work too. But then, "self-made" is just a self-aggrandizing way of saying "hard working". The second thing to look at, Newton put it best, though the concept predates him: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". Perhaps the most brilliant scientist in history understood that his accomplishments couldn't have occurred in a vacuum, and were built upon the centuries of work of those who came before him. "Self-made" men not wanting to pay taxes because they don't owe anything to the society that has enabled them is not just incredibly arrogant, it's laughable. Or it would be, were it not because it's such a widely accepted idea. I reject the view that if you do come from a wealthy family you dont have to work hard, thats a myopic generalization I work in the financial sector with software but much of my family are traders, currency strategists or investment bankers and I promise you they all work 9-14 hours a day sometimes With security trading in SA my one cousin gets to work at 6am and leaves at 6 pm .....every single day , 5 days a week So lets not be silly and say scurrilous things like " if you come from a wealthy family you dont have to work hard " ....

You are the first person who comes from a minority background that did face degrees of systemic discrimination that thinks AA is unfair. Its very magnanimous but I think AA is fair but it needs to be done in the right way. Also it doesnt mean white people wont get a job For me white people have plenty of advantages already, in South Africa its black people who still live in poverty and 60 % earn less than $800/day. Yes there are valid reasons for this as Apartheid lasted for 50 years and trust me Gromnir no race in this world could go through 50 years of a system like Apartheid without some kind of psychological impact So its normal for us to want black people to benefit from AA....but still there is high unemployment for black people

You guys wont believe this but about 15 years ago I also could have worked in the USA but it was a military contract...I always wanted to join the CIA. I had this view of how it was the perfect place for me. I could work independently and bend laws and break them in the name of security of the USA.....I know this is fine as long as its for the safety of your citizens People dont need to know everything...but I didnt apply but I have always admired the CIA, its amazing how they get criticized by so many Americans. No offense to anyone but I would never do that...I see it as unpatriotic Stunning. I now understand your total blind Statism. Your curious mixture of white-guilt with your total subservience to anything called "Government" is just a flaccid manifestation of your latent sociopathy. So much has become clear to me now. To respond to your original post though: I would hang Obama from the same reasons that I would hang Bush (any of them). They destroy lives, liberty, and prosperity with their every edict and action. They are not merely traitors to The US Constitution or nation. They are traitors to humanity, coasting upon a sea of blood and ruin to prove it. / I'm impressed with your assessment...but I'm not sure how accurate it is? You cant psychoanalyze someone and just guess surly So lets see, its not white guilt I have. I feel committed to the economic transformation in South Africa but its not a guilt trip...I feel liberated and I'm happy to be part of the solution Yes of course we need a strong state that guides policy....but it wont be a dictatorship however I would allow things like freedom of speech but not offensive and hurtful words Sociopath? Dude I'm normal ...no violent and weird acts from me You cannot hang the President ...thats treason, why would he deserve that?

This is an interesting post. A couple of questions You didn't acknowledge your race because of the bad perception about other Native Americans? That must have been weird, so what ethnic group did people think you were? AA makes perfect sense, dont feel guilty as you would have worked hard irrespective of any advantage AA could have given you Immigrants from se asia, africa and eastern Europe worked harder than you? Gromnir that is plain wrong ....never let foreigners work harder than you I have been watching Longmire, its set in Wyoming and there is a Native American reservation that he goes to....if you have seen this series would you say this is an accurate representation of life on the reservation?

if the issue is the overall financial cost then just change your target...move into a smaller place by yourself. You could see the family over the weekend?

I genuinely have no idea how important it is to have at least a cursory understanding of the Bible for most works studied in an English class, so I really can't comment on that, but I do think having some basic knowledge of Christianity is just as important as having some basic knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology for someone who wants to study European literature. These subjects have been the core pillars of culture and education for centuries here. But why would that matter, I had never read the Bible before and I got my degree Its probably because in Hungary the Bible is considered very important to people ?

And you went basically "lol so funny". And when people called you out on this,you were like "oh it's okay for me to feel a personal dislike towards the Chinese, because I have Economical Reasons". Yes my friend but what Trump said was funny because he also complemented the Chinese Then later I said " I dont really like the Chinese " ...but the posts were separate, I dont see the connection? Maybe someone else can comment? ...Or you could just realize that laughing at people's accents, while pretty immature and kinda racist, is pretty low on the scale of "terrible things a human being might commit", and you can acknowledge that "hey, this was actually Not Cool" without it automatically meaning you're an evil racist and general garbage person. No its common to laugh at a joke that has accents, laughing at something doesnt mean you think of it in a serious light? But again I dont think I was racist but I dont want to come across as racist ...very important distinction But anyway thanks for your opinion, its okay we can agree to disagree

And you went basically "lol so funny". And when people called you out on this,you were like "oh it's okay for me to feel a personal dislike towards the Chinese, because I have Economical Reasons". Yes my friend but what Trump said was funny because he also complemented the Chinese Then later I said " I dont really like the Chinese " ...but the posts were separate, I dont see the connection? Maybe someone else can comment?

Okay you do know what it means ...fair enough But how I am pre-judging the Chinese....I have experience ? And I dont hate them....so is it racism? And you know I take this seriously ....so if I am being racist I want to know ? "I find the tactics employed by Chinese actors in my country to be morally reprehensible, and I'm somewhat wary towards Chinese businesses in general" is a perfectly reasonable (dare I say, justified) statement to make. "LOLOLO Chinese people speak with a weird accent, this white person mocking them is HILARIOUS" is pretty damn racist. "I can't be racist, I don't hate black people! In fact, I have many black friends!" Did he say that in the post earlier? Given China's engagement in Africa recently I just took it as that in his post on trusting them. Or not sure what the heck that is to mean to me, other than I posted the same earlier today, heh. "I can't be racist, I don't hate black people! In fact, I have many black friends!" *cough* white fragility *cough* Did he say that in the post earlier? Given China's engagement in Africa recently I just took it as that in his post on trusting them. Or not sure what the heck that is to mean to me, other than I posted the same earlier today, heh. So you do realize Trump said the last line? So I'm missing the connection?

Nice deflection. You avoided the 'keeping up with the jones' part of my quote as well as your own financial problems. Hiro its considered rude to talk about money on a forum?

Okay you do know what it means ...fair enough But how I am pre-judging the Chinese....I have experience ? And I dont hate them....so is it racism? And you know I take this seriously ....so if I am being racist I want to know ?

"I can't be racist, I don't hate black people! In fact, I have many black friends!" *cough* white fragility *cough* Did he say that in the post earlier? Given China's engagement in Africa recently I just took it as that in his post on trusting them. Or not sure what the heck that is to mean to me, other than I posted the same earlier today, heh. As for Gftd's advice, amusing but he is still correct. You right and I have been polite about some of the more reprehensible practices they do

Volo I often agree with alum....normally his logic is reasonable so lets not dismiss his view Volo can you give me your definition of racism? I dont think you understand what it means...sorry its just you throw the word around so indiscriminately

Volo lets be honest...people throw the racist word around even when not appropriate I'm still not convinced I'm wrong.....but if you make a compelling point I will change my mind ?

Yes of course I can accept if I was in China the average Chinese citizen may not be like the Chinese who come to Africa But I have seen them operate for years in Africa, its always the same methodology and its always about one thing " they dont care about human rights. They will trade with any dictator and they legitimize certain African failed states ....so they allow some African dictators to remain in power at the expense of the black citizens of the actual country " They actually harm the overall economic transformation of the continent ....so I'm not sure what I am suppose to like about them?>

No This is Hiro ...why should he respond, I never expect him to do anything so that way I'm never disappointed

Presumably it was the entirety of the Chinese people, acting in complete unison, who did this. No it was every single Chinese person...all 1 billion of them But on a serious note you cant separate how they do business in Africa They have a certain trade approach but its harmful and they lied to us My point is that this doesn't magically make racism "okay". I mean, jesus Malc, use context. Hah, racism. Pretty clear to me he's not speaking of hating the yellow devils but, alright, heh. Thats the thing, I dont think it was racist because I have extensive experience with there business practice So making an informed decision shouldn't be seen as racist ?

Presumably it was the entirety of the Chinese people, acting in complete unison, who did this. No it was every single Chinese person...all 1 billion of them But on a serious note you cant separate how they do business in Africa They have a certain trade approach but its harmful and they lied to us My point is that this doesn't magically make racism "okay". I mean, jesus Malc, use context. No its different, racism is a prejudice that is not related to anything I have seen how the Chinese operate and that put me off them, I appreciate the point you making but I dont think this is racism? Also how much do you know about the Chinese....they do several things that are unacceptable to Western countries like Dogs are beaten or bled to death, then eaten at the Yulin dog meat festival. Thousands of Chinese citizens have protested the festival, but authorities won't act until they see how badly it's hurting China's global image. That's where we come in. Add your name to the petition below with one-click to stop this puppy slaughter, then tell everyone: Sign here Dear friends, For the Yulin dog meat festival, some dogs are stolen from their owners and beaten or bled to death. Then they’re hung upside down from hooks, a slit cut from their anus and skin ripped off their bodies, and sold to be eaten. The suffering must be unbearable -- new research shows that in terms of emotion, dogs' brains are much like ours, something dog owners and lovers understand well. When we see dogs for what they are -- living beings with thoughts and feelings -- the torture they endure at this 'festival' becomes inexcusable. Already thousands of Chinese citizens have spoken out against the festival, but authorities won’t act until they see how badly it’s hurting China’s global image, which they’ve been working hard to improve. That’s where we come in. Let’s show the Chinese government that the world cares about this puppy slaughter and wants them to stop it immediately! When our numbers are great enough, Avaaz will take out ads, work with influential celebrities, run the first independent national poll on dog-eating in China, and put this issue on front pages everywhere until Chinese authorities act. Add your name to the petition below with one-click and tell everyone: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_puppy_slaughter_loc/?bHGuxfb&v=76517&cl=9994221698 To Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping, the Governor of Guangxi Province Mr. Chen Wu, and members of the Chinese Central Government: As citizens across the globe deeply disturbed by the abuse and consumption of dogs at the Yulin festival, we strongly urge you to ban it immediately. Millions of Chinese citizens support legislation to stop the dog meat industry, and we join their call to end this cruel trade. https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_puppy_slaughter_loc/?bHGuxfb&v=76517&cl=9994221698 Thanks to brave Chinese activists, the festival gets smaller each year, and Yulin authorities eventually withdrew their sponsorship of the festival and even banned their employees from attending. Momentum is building. If millions of us raise our voices now, we can save thousands of pups from unimaginable torture. The Yulin festival isn’t a centuries old tradition -- it was started in 2010! And many argue that it was created mainly to boost meat industry sales. Time is running out -- the festival is in weeks. Sign the petition above with one-click on the link, then forward this to friends and family -- let's make this huge! https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_puppy_slaughter_loc/?bHGuxfb&v=76517&cl=9994221698 Our community has campaigned against the most cruel bull festival in Spain, against the discarding and killing of male baby chicks in Germany, and against terrible conditions on farms in Spain and France. Now it's time to speak out for man's best friend, and get this puppy slaughter stopped for good. With hope, Rewan, Danny, Luis, Patricia, Jooyea, Mike, Ricken and the entire Avaaz team More information: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016: New pictures emerge of 'nightmare' conditions for animals involved in Chinese event (The Independent) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/yulin-dog-meat-festival-2016-new-pictures-emerge-of-nightmare-conditions-for-animals-involved-in-a6973021.html#gallery Chinese public urges government to crack down on dog meat industry (Channel NewsAsia) http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/chinese-public-urges/2665086.html This Year, China Needs to End Its Horrific Dog Meat Festival (Observer) http://observer.com/2016/04/this-year-china-needs-to-end-its-horrific-dog-meat-festival/ Animal Rights Activists Target China Dog Meat Festival (VOA) http://www.voanews.com/content/animal-rights-activists-target-china-dog-meat-festival/3283551.html Why the Brains of Dogs and Humans are More Similar Than You Think (Gizmodo) http://io9.gizmodo.com/why-the-brains-of-dogs-and-humans-are-more-similar-than-1527707674

Parents + 2 kids doesn't mean you need a 4bd+ house. Just because you have two cars doesn't mean you need a two car garage. You can't park your car in the driveway? Also expecting to live in a million dollar suburb added to your check list? If you're going to have that sort of search criteria with a list of things that are outside your means, then of course you won't be able to afford to buy a house with those conditions. It's why people usually buy houses further out to live within their means. What if you can afford that type of property....there is no guarantee you will be happy there