BruceVC

But your rational and honest posts will be missed, I hope you never die But I think you need to start getting your daughter involved so she can carry the torch when you gone. Not now of course, maybe in the next 20 years or so

Im not sure what you mean when you say "People still going on with the Ukraine first, then NATO idea" ?

On Codex there is a fairly common argument from some Vatniks, because they dont all support Russia for the same reason, that basically says "Ukraine has already lost because there country has been destroyed and the West wont help rebuild because the West doesnt really care because this war is just about stopping Russia, who of course were provoked and are the victims, and Ukraine is just being used " Its historically inaccurate and ignores the reasons for the support the West is giving Ukraine so in other words its normal Vatnik cope and hyperbole The West absolutely will and does assist in rebuild of countries when its about there national interest, look at Japan and Germany after WW2 As you said the outcomes of this war is about the overall stability of the EU and finally making a stand against the warmongering and hegemony of Putins Russia and his pipedream to recreate the old Soviet borders. And yet this has been fought in a country that is not part of the EU yet. So at the end the very least the West can do its assist with reconstruction costs because its in there own national interests indirectly ( and I say indirectly because its not an invasion of an EU or NATO country which would be a much harsher and military response to Russia) Reconstruction aid will come from normal loans, low interest loans and free aid. But I am absolutely confident that Ukraine will be rebuilt because its in the best long term interests of the West

Im about 45 hours into Days Gone and its still a very entertaining experience and provides a good opportunity to explore a post-apocalyptic world I love using the bike to travel to places, I dont use fast travel. I appreciate the emotional and human side to the main protagonist, Deacon, as he laments and misses his wife The camps you help also make sense and the human factions you fight against are brutal and regressed into barbarism so you dont mind killing them Its not a difficult game and there are plenty of resources around, like petrol and scrap, that you constantly need for crafting But its a worthy game in the zombie killing genre

I dont want to hijack the Ukraine thread so this will be my last post on this topic but this really made me laugh I had this image of salamanders being aggrieved by Colonialism

I dont think we have same definition of historical Colonialism and how and why it ended Here is the official definition, you may have a different definition? https://www.thoughtco.com/colonialism-definition-and-examples-5112779 To quote from the link "Colonialism is the practice of one country taking full or partial political control of another country and occupying it with settlers for purposes of profiting from its resources and economy " So Colonialism is about economic exploitation and it was driven primarily by European countries. None of those countries are examples are exploitation. The local citizens are indigenous and expats and they benefit from the economy in the same way. Colonialism ended in Africa because both France and UK realised it wasnt morally right and it wasn't sustainable and local citizens wanted freedom from being controlled by Europe If you disagree then post links from any of the countries you listed where local people have been demanding independence like we saw in Africa You seem to be assuming that all the countries you listed want complete independence from France or UK and I dont think they do?

Which one of these countries wants independence from France or the UK in the same way that African countries got independence from the 1960's Just select one or 2 and I will read the links. Because most of these countries I know about are happy with the government structures with France or the UK

But can you be more specific and give examples, I still not sure what you mean?

You ask a very interesting and nuanced question that I have followed various debates around for 12-15 years And its great that you asking this question as a German citizen. I want to provide you some feedback but before I do I just want to clarify a few things. Germany is an excellent example of how a country can recreate itself after a dark history and I admire the economic and social success of Germany since WW2 and it achieved this without becoming a military superpower What self-reflection do you believe the likes of other EU countries, like the UK and France, should go through or should have gone through after WW2? Because both these countries started ending and did end Colonialism after WW2 Both these countries knew that Colonialism was wrong and not sustainable and no one defends slavery anymore. So Im genuinely interested in what changes you are talking about ?

In what what way is Great Britain poor in reflecting on its past, for example they dont deny Colonialism and the injustices of slavery? I sometimes hear that criricism towards the UK and I'm not sure what they mean?

That was the most exciting game so far in the WC, well done France. Kane will never forget missing that second penalty Im going out to drown my sorrows in alcohol

Yes England has equalised !!!!

So if you not supporting England to win the WC who are you supporting?

The real question is " why would you not support England in this stage of the WC" ? You have to support someone. Football originated in England, globally football fans love the Premier League, France won the last WC and England won the last time in 1966 Do the right thing Monty, support England vs France

There is no reasonable argument to suggest she deserved the 10 year sentence for less than 1 gram of cannabis. It was completely political. Drugs are rampant and ubiquitous in Russia and this entire circus of an arrest was about one thing only, embarrassing the US If Russia was a country like in ME countries where drug laws are strictly enforced and people are prosecuted consistently I would say it was reasonable. But I would love anyone to find me just one case of a Russian court sentencing anyone, outside of Griner, to 10 years for such a small amount of cannabis

Biggest upset so far but well done Croatia. There defense was excellent and they came through in PK's PK's are not the ideal outcome but you have to have an end after extra time. But today are huge games, dont forget we all need to get behind England

Wait till the end, then we can discuss it

https://news.yahoo.com/house-passes-bill-protect-same-211355161.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall This was an outcome of R vs W being overturned and Im glad it was passed. The bill recognizes LGBT marriage in all states but doesnt mean states have to legalize it and " it clarified that religious organizations wouldn’t be required to perform same-sex marriages and that the government would not be forced to protect polygamous marriages. "

Im very happy with Griners release. The story of her incarceration she is going to share is going to be very interesting one

What a surprise, Putin cant admit his war was an egregious mistake. We know he doesnt care about the consequences for Russia, he has demonstrated this many times. And he doesn't have to worry about political fallout because he is an autocrat

https://news.yahoo.com/china-reverses-harshest-covid-19-132337745.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall The CCP is basically reversing its "zero Covid " policy after demonstrably failing to stop the virus. There own vaccines lacked efficacy and all the lockdowns did was lead to less natural immunity I was pleasantly surprised to see Chinese people thinking for themselves and we witnessed some protests against the failed lockdowns But what an epic failure from the CCP and there " zero Covid " policy

Nah, I found the cover to be accurate and relevant, its not cringe at all. Here is a link that explains the reasons for the artistic design. It is about the spirit of the resistance to Russia's invasion https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/time-names-the-2022-person-of-the-year-volodymyr-zelensky-and-the-spirit-of-ukraine-1031958038 To quote some of the thinking behind the design "The impact of this story on 2022 is the essence of what Person of the Year was designed to capture, the idea that fateful events on the global stage are shaped—for better and worse—by the talents, priorities, fears, and foibles of individual human beings... For proving that courage can be as contagious as fear, for stirring people and nations to come together in defense of freedom, for reminding the world of the fragility of democracy–and of peace, Volodymyr Zelensky and the spirit of Ukraine are TIME's 2022 Person of the Year." https://bit.ly/3P9WCAN " Its the perfect summary of Zelensky and definitely appropriate

https://www.today.com/news/time-2022-person-of-the-year-volodymyr-zelenskyy-rcna60487 Zelensky has been named Time person of the year, a well deserved accolade considering Ukraines stand for freedom and rejecting the warmongering and tyranny of Russia

And who you Romancing? Miranda right .....we love those curves ( and her personality, I forgot to mention her personality )

Walker has given his concession speech and like before the Senate rerun was very close But Warnock was the better choice so well done on his victory. Certain politicians in the US are classic examples of hypocrisy. I dont generally support or get motivated by political tabloid gossip and hyperbole but Walker is the ultimate hypocrite and he deserved to lose He has a list of women who he insisted on having abortions and he has several children he doesn't support So much for traditional Conservative values