I've never been to Greece but I've been to the Middle East and there are many Greek and Byzantine ruins there. Of course in France we also have some Roman amphitheatres but they're not as common as medieval castles. I have fond memories of visiting old castles as a kid. There is nothing quite like this to fire up one's imagination.

I envy you the history you can see first hand. When we visited Assisi, Italy our hotel was oposite a church that had been an ancient temple dedicated I think to Minerva, not sure but some female goddess.

On a darker note I just saw this video. Take a look please it isn't long. Please tell me what Europeans are saying.

https://youtu.be/DfnV4B7Fk7Y

I can't speak for all Europeans but there is no doubt in my mind that the guy is a bully and a spoiled one at that. There is something very immature and childish about him but there is nothing remotely cute about that when you consider that we're talking about a 240 pound guy in his 70s.

Personally I couldn't care less about the prostitutes and the porn stars, it's unsavoury and I pity the poor women who had to indulge him but unfortunately it's very common for men in power to take advantage of others that way. What's even worse is that the guy hosted beauty pageants in order to watch young ladies undress in changing rooms so there is no arguing that he is a total creep.

Still, what I find the most obnoxious about your president is that he is an uncultured brute with no respect for art. Back in 1979 when he was still an unknown brat he wilfully chose to knock down a building and destroy two Art Deco sculptures in order to erect the monstrosity that is Trump Tower. That says a lot about his character.

These days he's made no secret that he is fond of dictators and would love people to stand to attention for him just like they do in North Korea. What more do we need to say about the guy?

What scares me is the guy could attack another nation simply because he has a parinoiddelusion that the country is dangerous to him.  Technically he cannot declare war on another nation.  Congress has to ratify that but  Congress has give the President some extra powers.  

Hopefully the anti Trump registered voters will get out and vote in the mid term election.  Looks like I will have to vote the Democratic line.  I prefer neither party and would rather vote for individuals but since the Republicans don't seem to want to put a leash on him we must flip Congress.

The guy is 72 and I suspect not with a full deck.

Well, our president is an obnoxious diminutive opportunist who is just a few months older than I am and who doesn't care about anything but big money. He has been giving our assets away and wants to get rid of minimum wages and any semblance of social protection we still have in this country...

He's pretty much like Robin Hood except he takes from the poor to give to the filthy rich.

Plus the guy is a total control freak who thinks highly of himself, has absolutely no vision for the future and doesn't give a damn about the environment.

So in all fairness we're not really better off. At least nobody takes Trump seriously. Unfortunately we can't say the same.

So the world is a mess. Actually how much has changed from when our ancestors looked out on a grassy plain and though "there must be a better way of dong things than this nomadic life of hunting and gathering".

We can send robots out to explore space but we still don't know how to get along.

I'm not so sure the robots are actually such a good thing. We are set on a path that will lead us to our own annihilation unless we take action. The crooks in charge don't give a damn and it may already be too late.

There is a French saying "après nous le déluge" and it means "after us the flood" meaning that we don't care what happens after our time and unfortunately it seems to be the motto most (if not all) world leaders live by.

One reason I think evolution out ranks a devise creator of some sort is how poorly we are designed. Our survival instincts date back to the African Serge ti plains. We do have imagination but then we mix imaginary things up with real things. We can create a fantasy life after death but we have a hard time accepting what our current actions hold for the world say a hundred years down the timeline.

The universe has no feelings about us, we could be wiped out tomorrow and the universe would still go on its way.

The universe would probably be better off without us in the picture.

Not that we matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.

Hey guys, long time no babble
Hey Nakia, watched part of the video, found it reprehensible because of how manipulative and misinforming it is, so i did not watch it to the end.

Donald Trump is arguably the worst diplomat in recent memory, his diplomacy is that of a raging bull in a china store.
He is a person very easy to hate, personally i hated him long before he ran for president.

This being said, one must keep in mind that Trump is against war and war spending, against Nato and against free trade agreements, all of which are major evils. Mass uncontrolled immigration and the Soros "open borders" are also an insidious evil, but thats a very complex issue that deserves a separate talk.

Now lets calm down and look at the facts:
-Unlike his predecessors, Trump needed to be pushed by the warmongering media and the politicians surrounding him, to actually take military action, and when he did it, he did it reluctantly, his actions were more for the show than anything.
-The meeting with Putin, which was a much needed action towards peace, was called treason by CIA chiefs, by some congressmen and senators, and was ridiculed by the warmongering media.
-He stated he was against Nato and didnt want american money to be spent on it, so his message to the warmongering accomplice states was: if you want war so much, you should pay your part of the costs.
-He is an enemy of free trade agreements, and these so called "free trade" agreements are instrumental in subverting national government power in favor of globalized corporate power.

Of course Donald Trump is not a friend of the people, he cares about the rich, he doesnt care about the environment but in all honesty, all previous presidents were the same with the added bonus they were also major warmongers.

The fact Donald Trump is so hated by the CIA and the FBI, should be sign he is doing something right, because these institutions were called out for being out of control by JFK and were feared by presidents before JFK.

While the media is hysterically over-hyping and over-reporting the refugee issue, the wonderful US congress is voting almost unanimously for major increases in military spending https://www.democracynow.org/2018/7/27/headlines/house_votes_359_54_in_favor_of_record_military_spending_bill

Trump is not good at all, but neither were any of his predecessors, hope he will not be re-elected, but i think the US and the world have bigger problems that are far from recent and far from being addressed, let alone solved.

Thinking about the outstanding work done by Naomi Wolf, if you didnt already read her book "The End of America", you should at least watch her documentary of the same title, but most likely you already watched it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFz72e9jcOg

You certainly have a point when it comes to previous presidents being warmongers (including Clinton). I'm not sure Trump is such a dove though.

What I still find hilarious is that Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize but then I guess that if Kissinger can get one of those...

Yes, Obama getting the Nobel prize for...PEACE! was horrible, and yes it was far less horrible than Henry Kissinger getting it. Symptomatic of the world we live in.
Trump is definitely not a dove, hehe the word "dove" used in conjunction with Trump, made me giggle quite a bit.

The show that is playing in front of our eyes is very significant though, maybe we have things to learn from it.

For me, the thing to learn is that media can make gods and monsters out of anyone and everyone, regardless of what they truly are.
The great lesson i finally learned is that technology and the media are not my friends at all, they are my nemesis. They are constantly trying to twist my reality and manipulate me.

In this particular case, it is true that what doesnt kill you, makes you stronger.
The media didnt brainwash me, but instead it made me stronger in the sense that it forced me to get out of my comfort zone and made me search for information instead of taking it for granted that information was given to me.
It pushed me into making the uncomfortable effort to actually think and compare and constantly question all the information that is spoon-fed to me.

So natural questions emerged out of this:
Is Trump really the horrible monster that the media is trying so hard to convince me he is?
Is Bashar al Assad really the horrible monster that the media is trying so hard to convince me he is?
Is Putin the horrible monster....
Is Russia the enemy? Why?
What with all those monsters?
So the US (and allies) are the good knights that are constantly fighting against monsters?

Hmm...arent we a bit old to believe in these fairy tales?

Seriously, looking around me its like taking a trip back to the middle ages, i expect to see burning at the stakes to be a thing again.

The "good" thing about Trump is that he always goes out of his way to prove that he can be incredibly obnoxious. I won't even pretend that I'm keeping track of all the nonsense he comes up with (it would be a full time job) but it's incredible to have such an offensive and politically incorrect guy in charge of the US (a country that could certainly be qualified as puritanical and as a consequence can be seen as hypocritical). I guess that to some people Trump's outrageous nature is part of his appeal and there is no denying that he gets off doing what he does. I'm not sure there is much dignity involved but then again men in power don't tend to give a damn about such petty concerns.

The "good" thing about Trump is that he always goes out of his way to prove that he can be incredibly obnoxious. I won't even pretend that I'm keeping track of all the nonsense he comes up with (it would be a full time job) but it's incredible to have such an offensive and politically incorrect guy in charge of the US (a country that could certainly be qualified as puritanical and as a consequence can be seen as hypocritical). I guess that to some people Trump's outrageous nature is part of his appeal and there is no denying that he gets off doing what he does. I'm not sure there is much dignity involved but then again men in power don't tend to give a damn about such petty concerns.

Sorry, but I would take Trump over the grade A wanker we are stuck with in Canadia any day of the week. Even someone as apathic towards politics as me is starting to get really mad at the clusterfuck Canada is becoming.

Agree with you Zarak, Canada is becoming a clusterfuck, but i wouldnt vote for Trump. Our "grade A wanker" (that cracked me up) aint great, but to me he seems better than the likes of Trump or Macron.
Curious what got you out of your political apathy.

Ain't great is a massive understatement. Throwing foreign aid right and left while shafting your own people (remember the "Sorry you are asking for more than we are able to give right now" bollocks and how badly he is treating the First Nations?), breaking the immigration system with this open borders lunacy, penalizing legitimate immigrants who have spent years and lots of money to become proper Canadian citizens and putting incredible stress on the health, education and housing systems, not to mention those illegals getting benefits and living off welfare, which is putting more financial strain on taxpayers, Quebec already being one of the most taxed provinces in the entirety of the country. Oh yeah, and there's the stupid bloody carbon tax, too.

His clusterfucks mean that the budget won't be balanced before 2046 at LEAST, and that would be assuming the Liberals put the brakes on useless spending, which, as you very well know, isn't their strong point. Then there is M-103/the religious blasphemy law, which, funnily enough, is very specifically worded towards "Islamophobia" which the Libtards sneaked in while the province was busy with the G7 clusterfuck.

Quite simply put, he is the worst thing that has ever happened to Canada, even more so than his imbecile of a father. Sr. alienated Western Canada, Jr. is alienating the rest of the country except for his chosen people.

As for what got me out of my political apathy -- I abandoned my anarchist beliefs. Anarchy is a spiritual pipe dream that will never be achievable, and even if it was, it is human nature to try and organize so it would be a transitional state at best. The closest we will ever get to true anarchy would be Libertarianism, but the Libertarian Party of Canada is way, way too small and insignificant to even begin to make a dent in the Libs/Cons/NDP voter base. All political parties are bollocks, but the Libertarian Party is the one that is the lesser evil, I guess we could say, and the one that resonates the most with me.

I also mentioned that I have ties and friends involved in the so-called "far right" movements that have emerged in response to the Liberals' asinine, idiotic, ass-backwards, moronic policies. The mainstream media likes to paint them as the worst thing since Genghis Hitler, but they do have some valid points, criticism and concerns, and I find the regressive left (especially Antifail) much more dangerous than the so-called "far right".

Also, I live in MTL now. Compared to Quebec City, it was a massive cultural shock. In some ways, it is better than QC City was, but in others it is a hell of a lot worse. My lass and I are making plans to get the fuck out of there as soon as possible aka July 2019.

So now we live in the same city, Zarak, but apparently in different worlds that are so far from each other. Personally i consider it a privilege to be able to talk to someone that has completely different views than i have, because the only "harm" that can come out of it would be me learning new things.
Perfectly understand the "far right" people, even though im a far left person myself.
Have to specify that im a real left, not the fake left that is composed of the adepts of mass migration, open borders, feminists, lgbt, anti-racism hysterics and all this movements that are more akin to fascism and have nothing to do with the left ideology.
The so-called "far-right" is just a movement opposing these hypocrites that are disrupting society and pitting people against each other, while wearing the mask of the "left" and of political correctness.

Also aware that this is Nakia's thread, and despite her and Cara touching on politics, neither of them seem comfortable talking about it outside of a very limiting comfort zone, and it seems that you and me both, are not comfortable within the confines of this small comfort zone.

So basically what im saying is that while i like talking about politics and different controversial issues, i dont want to become a toxic guest.
You guys seem to all know each other pretty well, im more of an outsider, so i dont know the "rules of the house" about what is considered acceptable, polite and such, so i will stop posting on this subject in this thread until i get some sort of feedback from Nakia or Cara. Really dont want to be a toxic pest, and i know that many people consider politics as a toxic topic and those who insist on it, as pests.

I usually very strongly dislike talking about politics, but you striked me as somebody with an open mind that is willing to see and consider things from a different point of view, and that I certainly can respect. We've never really talked much, but Carabas considers you a friend, and that's a good enough endorsement for me.

But, that said, I agree, this is grandma's blog and not the politics thread so let's leave it at that.

Also, out of curiosity, in which part of MTL are you located?

Cote des Neiges area, one of those dead end streets called Ridgewood, that go up the mountain into the forest and the beautiful millionaire houses at the top, very close to Mont Royal Park, which is the main reason i stayed in Montreal, i love that Mont Royal Park so much. Ironically my area is also at the border between the very rich and the very poor. A five minute walk from my house will get me to millionaire houses or to multicultural poor areas, depending on the direction i go

Hey guys this is all fine by me. I'm a lefty (probably the kind you guys hate ) so I don't really mind. I have a deep rooted hatred for the far right but that can't be helped I'm afraid.

I think we have a politics thread somewhere so you may want to take the discussion over there (don't want to hijack Nakia's blog).

In any case I think that as long as everybody understands that we all have different opinions and that we don't have to agree on everything to get along then it's perfectly fine (plus you guys make some seriously good points even if I may not personally agree with everything you say).

As far as I'm concerned I see Anarchy as a beautiful ideal but one that can't come true on a larger scale. In my opinion politics are a necessary evil at best and a terrible thing at any other time. I don't enjoy talking about that topic because it brings me down. Take the environment for instance. I'm in my early 40s (like the French president) and I'm baffled that the current French administration does nothing to prepare for the future. We may not be able to get out of the "tout nucléaire" (all nuclear) but if we don't take action now we are setting our children down a terrible path.

Hey Cara, thank you for the reply.
A little disclaimer, or excuse if you prefer, is that i joined the conversation because it already had political notes, but it was centered solely on Trump's personality, with some atheism and a bit of gloomy-doomy stuff. My problem is that Trump's obnoxious behaviour is taking people's attention away from all the shit he DOES, while people only pay attention to the crap he SAYS, which is irrelevant.

When i throw in an opinion, its because i want to talk about it, would like to know what other people think of my opinion, and if they think its a bunch of bollocks, thats perfectly ok, and i wish they would tell me why they disagree, the worst that could come out of it would be me learning something new.

Also Cara, because you are "that" kind of leftie, doesnt mean that i hate you, on the contrary, i consider it a rare privilege to get into talks and debates with people that have completely opposite views from mine, in a civilised environment where people kinda sorta know each other.

Our world goes through difficult and confusing times, and we are human beings.
Human beings communicate, argue, and learn from that, and thats how things advance.
Being super polite and politically correct out of fear that omg someone will take offense is not the way to go, at least not between friends online, at work and on the street its a different thing.

Now in order to take this out of the realm of politics, Nakia's and Cara's gloomy-doomy visions of atheism, evolution and universe, made me think of a video i watched a while ago, thought i would throw it in, at the very least i hope it will bring a smile on your faces https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TerTgDEgUE

Democracy is as strong or as fragile as those who support.