BruceVC

Ah yes I understand what you doing here, you making the point that even in this seemingly insurmountable wave of foreign terrorism that threatens our very existence you found a positive...you were forced to exercise and yes, its true what the doctors say " exercise is indeed good for you ". I like your upbeat view on these matters...we need more like you

Those are morbid, myopic, depressing and opportunistic words from the Archbishop I wouldn't take them seriously....its almost like he is suggesting that somehow this wave of despondent refugees is going to overthrow Western ideology in the EU...in the EU....the birthplace of Western ideology, the place that boasts great cultures and civilizations and where cities like London, Berlin, Paris, Copenhagen actually exist. No my my friend, the EU is going to be fine Its pure grandstanding and hyperbole that link ....don't believe a word of it Mesgugger

I have a right to whatever i want to believe in, and i have a right to express whatever i believe in, i just an individual, doesn't mean everybody in Malaysia thinking the same. I don't represent my country and Malaysian Muslim Women.But you sound like you're stereotyping Malaysian women... Why? Because i use hijab picture? I could use a sexy picture and that could change your mind maybe........ I am going to try to explain my point one more time and then I'm going to leave it I have never said Malaysian women are uneducated, I have never profiled Muslim women or made assumptions about Malaysia or how Malaysian people act. You are saying I'm saying that and you are making assumptions about what I say or mean. My criticism was towards you and you only...not your country, your culture and not your religion I question if you are serious about this debate because you seem to believe every single conspiracy theory about the West ...this is not helpful if you want to have a serious debate where we exchange ideas and concerns about our cultures But it seems you are serious and it seems you are a real person ...so once again I apologize if I have offended you but I felt I had to ask so now I will continue to debate with you as I don't think you are a troll

What...do you think Malaysian women are all fool, stupid, only waiting for someone to get married, then stay at home and making babies, cooking at the kitchen? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_cabinet_ministers_of_Malaysia That list are just women in the government...we have women engineers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, and many more... This is my Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002105943403 Yes I know that Malaysian women are educated, you misunderstanding me as that's not my point I am finding it hard to believe you could believe so many negative things about the West, I am honestly questioning if you are who you say you are. It would be like me saying to you " Muslims just want to plant bombs and kill people, thats what Islam stands for " ..anyone who says this can't be taken seriously because they are generalizing about billions of Muslims who actually just want to live in peace. So when you always criticize the West I see it in the same way...I am not sure if you are being serious because you can't generalize in a debate like this about billions of people who live in the West, this is the type of thing a troll would be...and I don't want to think of you like that But yes your Facebook page is important as it adds to your credibility ...and once again I'm sorry to question your credibility but I am just being honest

So I mentioned I haven't been to gym for 6 weeks and I went back today....its turns out I haven't been for 2 months, yes I am embarrassed Anyway what was unexpected is I was able to do my full 1 hour training regime, I thought I wouldn't be able to complete it because I assumed I was very unfit but it was fine. Of course I didn't do the normal distances I would normally do but I was still surprised at my level of endurance I have been going on hikes and doing other exercises over the last 2 months but not like my standard 1 hour training but end of the day I am not as unfit as I thought

@ Qistina I'm beginning to think you aren't who you say you and you could just be trolling Now I'm not trying to offend you but your posting etiquette fits the stereotypical profile of someone who is anti-Western but also believes every single conspiracy theory that exists that looks to undermine the West or questions why the West acts in certain way in the global arena And I debate with people in my own country all the time who are anti-Western and nobody believes all the various conspiracy theories .,...yet you seem to believe them all. Its just not realistic or feasible? I hope I'm wrong and I hope you really a Malaysian Muslim women ....but I'm starting to question this

Richest country in the world, 20% of children in poverty, only just above Romania. [source] Bravo America. Nope. This statistic does not measure the number of children in poverty. It's a measure of how some households are even richer than others, thus raising the median: "relative poverty line, which UNICEF defines as living in a household that earns less than half of the national median" If your quarrel is with inequality itself, then make that argument. Stop making misleading claims about poverty to try and bolster your case. Exactly, there's a world of difference between Romanian poverty and American poverty. Besides, we can never wipe out poverty because we keep importing the poor, because according to some, and you know who you are, we just can't do without the cheap third world labor. Also WOD.... "wipe out poverty " and similar statements are just a distraction You will always have a level of poverty in society...there will always be people who are indigent , I don't go to sleep at night thinking " I want to solve global hunger and eradicate the scourge of social inequality " that is just rhetoric used by people like Baro to undermine Western institutions when he finds fault or raises issues similar to the Romanian children example And its not that I don't think these are noble endeavors, I am just a realist and pragmatist and I prefer to have objectives that I can influence and really commit to. I believe in a more equitable and fair society. Governments have a certain level of responsibility to ensure this and end of the day Western countries offer there citizens the best quality of life and have the happiest citizens...and I know people dont like to accept this but I am fine with this view as it reflects the reality Western countries really offer the means and institutions to economically uplift people but yes not everyone can and will be part of this. That doens't change the fact that its actually quite good to live in the West

The Israeli security is very effective and Hamas control the main military strategy against Israel...ISIS isn't aligned to Hamas so it would be very tough for ISIS to operate in places like Gaza and the West Bank

Yes I'm following this, the terrorists will be linked to Islamic extremists...they do exist in Mali and have been trying to destabilize the country for years. The French military has been instrumental in preventing this and they have forces permanently based in Mali http://news.yahoo.com/islamic-extremists-attack-timbuktu-north-mali-122803432.html;_ylt=A0LEVxu3605WSTIAibVXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyaG9udTVyBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjA5MTNfMQRzZWMDc3I-

But Meshugger I am looking for your realistic suggestions around how to reduce the likelihood of extremists infiltrating the EU pretending to be refugees Would you really send back all current refugees who are now in Europe since Germany said they should be welcomed? Do you not think this is unrealistic and will seen as a humanitarian crisis All the EU can do going forward is have stricter screening policies and better assessments of people coming into the EU...thats what the article alludes to

Its funny but this whole " down with Wall Street " I have never really understood We need to recognize the important, some would say critical, role that the various financial institutions and corporations in Wall Street play....an economic reality where Wall Street collapses or is seriously undermined would lead to a global depression So I'm not sure why we seem to have issues with Wall Street, we should try to see Wall Street as a real friend of the free market and sustainable economic growth Spoken like a true foreigner, right now we all hate corporations and the Fed for ****ing the economy, hijacking the government, getting bailed on tax dollars and just for making everyone's lives harder all around. Yet you have the strongest economy in the world, a very low unemployment rate, a robust and vibrant corporate sector and real economic growth in many sectors....shame poor you Americans So yes you right, as a foreigner I don't understand this criticism of the economy of the USA

Its funny but this whole " down with Wall Street " I have never really understood We need to recognize the important, some would say critical, role that the various financial institutions and corporations in Wall Street play....an economic reality where Wall Street collapses or is seriously undermined would lead to a global depression So I'm not sure why we seem to have issues with Wall Street, we should try to see Wall Street as a real friend of the free market and sustainable economic growth

Nah, I see this whole incident as just political opportunism Its a way to attempt to undermine Hilary Clinton and her campaign and make her look bad ....so in other words its your normal invective that has to have a degree of hyperbole that some people will be involved in during the time where people are going to vote. Nothing unusual in the political arena space

Aye. It just makes our world conquest so much harder when we cant just reduce the cities to rubble, WWII style. I mean, how will we ever overcome the Malaysian military otherwise?

Hurlshot is 100 % correct here, it should be an insult to anyone's intelligence if you take it seriously

They are trying to solve a problem, and they have ground elemens working with them, Syrian army and Iranian troops (I think). Might be messing up ISIS, might be messing up Syrian rebels or both. Since ISIS blew up their plane, they may decide to work ISIS over a bit more as they probably are a more competent threat to Assad than the rebels. Trust me, Putin is not trying to solve anything. He couldn't care less about Syria, ISIS, or anyone else. This is mostly a political move to gain some support which he is losing every day in Russia. And the fact that he's a maniac with a Napoleon complex. He failed in Ukraine, so now he wants another triumphant little war. I tend to agree with this insight

How are they trying to solve the problem? Airstrikes cannot defeat ISIS...this is something that has been said time and time again If Russia really wants to solve the ISIS problem they must deploy ground troops, we need " boots on the ground " to defeat ISIS

Yeah its nice to have a break from the craziness....like discussing Islamic extremism I enjoy politics and global events discussions, but its also good to have an innocuous break...like this thread

Some reporters ask the stupidest questions. "Now that you have publicly revealed your secret, will you continue to pay blackmailers who threaten to reveal your secret unless you pay them?" You right.... , that MUST be the dumbest questions I have ever heard, But it is so stupid it really made me laugh

Things are going well my side, very busy at work which is a good thing and my social calendar is busy..which is also a good thing. There are some really entertaining events in JHB at the moment like Wine Festivals and Food Events so we like attend those and partake of all the good food, cheese...and wine of course I haven't been to gym for about 6 weeks but I plan go back this weekend There are about 20-30 local and global events that concern me. Like the state of the South African economy and the rise of misplaced socialist\communist ideology I see in certain South African political circles, also I cant ignore events like the Paris attacks but none of these depress me, I try to be part of the narrative that looks to unpack these developments and then at least understand them. Once you get this right these things wont depress you or make you think " what is happening to the world....what is happening to society...this is the worst era of mankind " and other similar sentiments

Cant sorry I missed something, why can't you sleep..what happened?

Implying that every the foundation of any civilization is meaningless, heritage meaning nothing and cohesion of a society is not based common virtues and values of it's people. National identity as we understand it hasn't really been a thing for much of human history. Implying that a rejection of nationalism is synonymous with a rejection of the basic building blocks of society is woefully ignorant at best, and outright manipulative at worst. Your claim, prove it. //EDIT: Wait, what am i quoting here? Did you edit your post? //EDIT2: nvm As you should prove your claim to be fair. Saying that nationalism is needed for social cohesion sounds a lot like saying religion is needed for morality. I could go into how while humans have a drive to join together on the small scale like you said it doesn't really work on the large scale, the history of it such as how England and France would go to war despite the fact that their leaders had more in common with each other than they did with their people (the nobility of England being Norman after all), and the definition of just what nationalism actually means but I am at work at the moment so don't have the time unfortunately so will hope someone else will and instead post this poem that I feel is apt to this situation both in our conversation and what is going on in the world: Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs, And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of gas-shells dropping softly behind. Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time, But someone still was yelling out and stumbling And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.— Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. In all my dreams before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin; If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,— My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori. Nice one , WW1 has such profoudly, evocative poems... I posted part of this poem a few months earler...people on the thread were a little concerned and said it was depressing But Wilfred Owen captures the reality of that era and war perfectly accurately, you know he was killed 1 week before the armistice ...1 week and he would have survived

What type of person would blackmail anyone over anything? There are bad people out there. As for what happened to Charlie Sheen, well acting irresponsibly often leads to unfortunate results. Now if he did have sex with people who did not know then he does deserve to be sued out of existence because that makes him the biggest scumbag of them all. Yes HIV is not the automatic death sentence it once was but it is still a permanent injury. If he is deliberately risking the lives and health of others then f--k him. Sure, I agree with this and other views Which is why I said " I believe in full disclosure ". So if he wasn't honest about his status and then had sex, either protected or unprotected, then he will face some sort of criminal charges ..and that's how it should be

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/17/health/charlie-sheen-health/ Most of you probably know this already but it does several talking points. Two I find interesting are There is a societal stigma about HIV people where there is this assumption that its a death sentence. Nowadays with the right medication this should be seen as a chronic illness..so its not the end of the your life. I do believe in full disclosure and I support people who are are honest about there HIV status If you read the article you will see how Sheen was blackmailed for years...what type of person would blackmail someone over this? Reprehensible at best How does this change your view of Sheen if at all?

" getting high" ...Gromnir no, we are talking about using weed for the therapeutic qualities like......"helping a person sleep "