The Serious Discussion Thread.

[Richie]

Read this for a change.

You know I am a well read person. I know of all this. In my country non violent but rowdy, disruptive protestors are hauled away by police, I expect yours too and in most free western nations. Thanks goodness we dont have secret police or moral police here yet, that is going too far and sadly strict Islamic regimes such as Iran and tyranical states still do. I see some of this strictness being eroded slowly in Iran, as they appear to be far more western orientated today.

 

[looker-on]

No worries about which war Thomas.

As for the war in Ukraine, we've not been affected by that Invasion very much, yet. We're distant and many of our local markets like China are our big economic links. We're resource rich too.

But the war in the Ukraine does worry me in terms of global peace and stability. The hard right dictators are forming a league of their own with eyes on expansionism. I feel the Invasion of Ukraine is the spearhead of a facist authoritarian new chapter in our already overheated world. It's a bleak outlook for the future.

Thanks for your input, Terry. The reason why I was asking that question is that the war in Ukraine has been making itself felt over here and in Britain exactly as it had been predicted.
As a result of the war in Ukraine the living standard of many Europeans has lowered one way or another. One price we had to pay for Putin’s invasion was that an admittedly generous health club covering 6000 m² including four rooms for workouts, four saunas, a couple of Badminton and Squash courts, and two restaurants had to be shut down since it can’t be run as a profit-generating private company any more given the current gas prices.

Before (Just one room of many)


After
The new reality is a health club with just one room. There're not even showers.You won’t see a member of staff live and in person but on screens only. And that’s only if you ask them nicely. Instructions are hidden in QR codes and the room is only accessible if you have a smartphone which is why a couple of elder customers turned on their heel on the opening day. So no training without electronic gadgets.

It's better than no facilities at all as had been the case for three years or longer but the change for the worse is noticeable.

 

[looker-on]

Yes I know about Sharia law as part of Islamic doctrine. The Yanks still execute murderers. I dont see the difference. All organized Crime scum drug dealers should have that punishment.
Thomas am sorry to hear about the execution of Jamshid Sharmahd. Where the charges false?

This does not look like a repressed state to me. Even women minus abaya, kaftan, burka chador , several females not even wearing a hijab! Many in western clothes. These street scenes are reminiscent of any Western city.

It looks pretty much like the Damascus I saw back then. Could show you pics where you wouldn't see a difference. But still....

 

[Grier]

As for extreme right wing mysoginistic cultures the Taliban in Afghanistan gets the gong of the month for banning women praying out loud, even in private in the company of other women.
Good grief; Dark age crap. ☹

 

[Richie]

As for extreme right wing mysoginistic cultures the Taliban in Afghanistan gets the gong of the month for banning women praying out loud, even in private in the company of other women.
Good grief; Dark age crap. ☹


View attachment 3023

Now they are religious zealots gone mad. Makes Iran, Iraq, Syria regimes look like the a Mother Teresa mission by comparison.

 

[Grier]

The US erection for the new Potus happens Wodin's day.
Trump is again blaring out his potty mouth. This time at Liz Cheney inferring she should be shot by multiple guns.
Good Grief! That guy is a like a drunken psycho brat of seven.

It's ok to call out such vile rhetoric, but not to stoop to that level one's self, like Biden only half did, responding to one of Trump's cronies mocking racially about US citizens. Nevertheless, it was a mistake and Harris was right to distance herself from such rhetoric about the "Deplorables"! That line cost Hillary Clinton her tilt to be a tough bitch Potus. She hated Russia.

On the funny side, Russia has fined Google $US20 decillion.
A Russian court has ruled that Google must compensate for its block on Russian state media channels on YouTube with a fine so large it outranks the world's GDP. Google have been fined 2 undecillion roubles, or $US20 decillion.
That's $US20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,0000,000,000,000.

Meanwhile, Jews target the innocents with deadly and 'precise' force. Women, children, journalists, UN peace keepers, UN Aid workers, ... whilst using famine and disease as a means of genocide with scores of war crimes committed by the supposed Chosen ones. A bit like the days of Moses.
Israel has badly soiled its copy book and have created a dark legacy for themselves. ☹

 

[Richie]

Good Grief! That guy is a like a drunken psycho brat of seven.

Terry if it wasnt so serious , i'd be hilarious. Yet the senile drunken psycho is still a bloody chance for a second Presidency of the largest economy in the Free World. Jesus help America, Jesus help the world.

 

[Grier]

It's a bit backwards that currently Thump gets away with accusing the Deep State Democrats for the sort of crap that he actually does himself unabashed. Electoral Fraud for instance, ,..
Will Trump call for another insurrection if he is defeated, again?

As you said Craig, the eyes of the World is on the outcome of Wednesday's Potus vote in the US. Trump is already using his gutter tactics to prep for a defeat making early accusations of electoral fraud... blah, bkah, . rat chatter,,.. nash....vengeance...
A New York tough guy salesman running the Free World. ☹

God forbid.

I seriously have trouble understanding parts of the US psyche in seeing Trump as their saviour. The man has such a grubby score card.

 

[Grier]

Trump spoke like a hero saviour today saying only he could cure the ills of America and the "world". He'll stop the wars initiated by mostly narrisistic despots, who he has bromances with.
Notwithstanding, Trump promises to bring peace to the world whilst threatening massive trade tarriffs on China. LoL
A new golden age of prosperity he promises being oblivious to the elephant in the room, namely Global Warming. He's not the genius he claims to be given his ignorance about Science. Medical Science too given his stumbling approach to Covid.
Racist too, "... They're eating the cats and dogs ..."
"Couldn't you just inject yourself with disinfectant?"

A fascist, a narcissist, stupid, vengeful, boaster, liar, rapist, women abuser, fraudster, thief, conman, ex bankrupter, friend to paedophile Epstein, aggressive, convicted felon, into character assassinations, child like with little self control, arrogant, .... and he wants power for himself, not for the poor people he's conned with empty and impossible promises. A grafter.

There's a new movie out called "Civil War" based in the Divided States of America.
We'll probably not get the gist of the vote til the week after tomorrow. Fair enough, but Trump's not happy with that, he wants to know on the day... ignoring postal votes ... etc...
No doubt, if that dosen't go his way he'll find other things to whine about. I've heard he's priming up for multiple law suits like whining about vote counting machines, etc... Again he seems primed for multiple electoral fraud cases. The irony being he's the biggest crook re electoral fraud with the riots he inspired, especially the Capitol hill insurrection when baying Rednecks wanted to string up Mike Pence. A decent and honourable man.

I find it amazing this criminal gangster is being adored by so many. A proven hard-loser with recordings of him doing stand-over tactics to illegally overturn a valid election result. And more like the sordid stuff too graphic to recant...

God save and bless America, the once land offering solace to the many immigrants, like my Irish kin. ..."..they're eating the dogs". My Irish ancestors ate grass during the potato famine.

I read the paragraph below as part of a preamble for a discussion group in a weeks time. I see it as an aspect well fitting Trump's narcissistic psyche.

The Dunning Kruger Effect:
The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities. The effect is usually measured by comparing self-assessment with objective performance.
This trend is seen as a problem in metacognition - the ability to analyse one’s own thoughts or performance. “Those with limited knowledge in a domain suffer a dual burden: Not only do they reach mistaken conclusions and make regrettable errors, but their incompetence robs them of the ability to realise it.”

I'll be listening acutely to the results as they come in and hope Trump's Private boys don't go ape if he loses.
I heard shops are shoring up and extra police ... being called up.
Certainly not a bloodbath I hope, as has been alluded to.
Democracy is shaky in the US and I'd hate to see a third world type despot destroy the esteem other nations have of the US.

I'm not adverse to conservative leaders like Howard and Turnbull, in Oz, I voted for. Both had my respect and trust.
Corollary being some Labor and Liberal leaders were dreadful.
Lathain and Abbot come to mind but our very ex pm Morrison takes the sour cream buns for Ausralia's worst PM ever: a lazy, dumb pretend Christian, stirring up a trade dust storm with China when we should have looked the other way and left that crap to Trump. Was Moronson T Rumps patsy? Last I heard Morison was working for one of Trimp's cronies. PR stuff and spin doctor ?.?.? . Lots of Republicans are also Evangelicals, like arm waving and talking in tongues liek ur wee brained twerp Moronson.

 

[Richie]

A fascist, a narcissist, stupid, vengeful, boaster, liar, rapist, women abuser, fraudster, thief, conman, ex bankrupter, friend to paedophile Epstein, aggressive, convicted felon, into character assassinations, child like with little self control, arrogant, .... and he wants power for himself, not for the poor people he's conned with empty and impossible promises. A grafter.

In other words a nice all round bloke

 

[Richie]

Someone tell me why only 7 of 50 states matter in an American election. Evidently the 7 are Electoral College states, (whatever this means) meaning that even if Kamala Harris wins the popular vote she can still lose the election if Trump has the EC votes. I find this bizarre in the extreme.

 

[looker-on]

Someone tell me why only 7 of 50 states matter in an American election. Evidently the 7 are Electoral College states, (whatever this means) meaning that even if Kamala Harris wins the popular vote she can still lose the election if Trump has the EC votes. I find this bizarre in the extreme.

It has to do with the principle of the winner taking it all and with the numerical size of the states. Pennsylvania, e.g. is so large that it must be won in any close race if one wants to succeed.
The electoral system is ridiculous. I'd asked the question in a US forum why they don't get rid of it. There was no answer. They like there bizarre system. The systems obviously benefits those in and behind the powerful elite. The electoral system could be changed if there was a political will to do so. It's also technically possible to do so as it has been proved by the allies in post-war Germany.

 

[Kram81]

Trump won the popular vote anyway?

 

[looker-on]

Trump won the popular vote anyway?

Yes, but his victory does not say anything about the electoral system since he always wins either as a result of the votes - if they are in his favour - or through self-proclamation if they are not. Actually, he has to decide whether he accepts the system or not. He can't say that he only accepts it when he wins. Odd that he can get away with it.
By the same token, Harris could now claim that her victory was stolen by the Trump camp.

 

[Grier]

It has to do with the principle of the winner taking it all and with the numerical size of the states. Pennsylvania, e.g. is so large that it must be won in any close race if one wants to succeed.
The electoral system is ridiculous. I'd asked the question in a US forum why they don't get rid of it. There was no answer. They like there bizarre system. The systems obviously benefits those in and behind the powerful elite. The electoral system could be changed if there was a political will to do so. It's also technically possible to do so as it has been proved by the allies in post-war Germany.

I too know how their electoral college system works and you're spot on Thomas saying "winner takes all". Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes and as that big state went red all 19 of the electoral votes went to Trump.
It's an archaic system very open to gerrymandering which the Republicans have exploited for decades. They curry favour with the small rural states .... Often winners have not won the popular vote but got to be POTUS through the Electoral vote.
In this case, as you Kram said, "he won the popular vote." agreed which makes it a good win.
He won fairly but Harris was a black female which worked against her I heard on the ABC. Other factors too like the Dems losing blue collar support, ..Borders, ...Biden, ...lots of factors...
America will have the President they deserve.
We've had similar once in Australia on a smaller scale with a Premier of our state of Queensland.

Anyway, Trump's in for another 4 year term and won.
No riots at least.
It's not all bad, the war in Ukraine will be over by Friday, the middle East conflicts will go peaceful into the night, America will again have the ascendancy, .... blag, brag, blah, blah ... golden age ..

At least Trump squints his nasty eyes at China, our biggest trading partner unfortunately.
I don't mind US subs being replenished and maintained just south of my city Perth. It's a great deterrent to a greedy China, imo.

I do find Trump's take on many global issues cruel and ignorant. He'll ignore global warming, WHO, NATO etc .., a bit depressing,
I bet Trump will focus on the pacific where ChiNah are being belligerent. True, and US forces are welcome here, imo.

Trump never fails to entertain. Top marks for the bleeding ear pic with the fist in the air, truly. Some say that was faked, I doubt that. He's got a thick skin and I thought he was courageous in that moment.

Mr Trump is an excellent showman, he's unpredictable, he might be jailed soon, ... I think he can pardon himself on federal criminal violations, but not state ones like in New York, ... where he's up on charges/sentencing ,,? So many it's confusing.

Imagine jailing a presumptive US President. Could he still be President if imprisoned in a jail say in the Bronx, Alcatraz? Close to his early years after leaving a sour legacy with the Big Apple.
Would he get an office in jail? Secretaries, personal helpers,
hair stylist, a king size bed, personal kitchen, and bathroom, wi-fi, smart tv's, smart phones, tablets, hotline to McDonalds ... ?

That'd go down in the history books as a truly hilarious event.
I 'd love to see such a drama, , but probably won't.

God save America, and all the global pacts made with it.

 

[looker-on]

He won fairly but Harris was a black female which worked against her I heard on the ABC

Agree. Gender is a major issue. Given the dominant role the armed forces have always been playing in the US because of the excessive power a president in that country has, it’s a disadvantage for women that they have not served in them. Unfortunately, we’ve had two female ministers of defence, one of them even in war time (Ukraine), and they failed to do the job since they didn’t know the first thing about the armed forces, didn’t want to learn nor talk about weapons. They were visibly uncomfortable in their job, in interviews, and visits to the troops ( one turned up in Mali wearing high heels) so that they don’t have the credit needed in that office. In the US it’s even more critical to look the part.

 

[Richie]

The Free World is again in the hands of Donald Trump. AAAAAGGGG!!!!!

Was it because of the economy as is common knowledge socialists are not the best economic managers. Or was is it because of the Democrats getting into bed with elite wokeism, or was it because America is not ready for a colored, female president. Good luck America and the world as you have a man with all these flaws and faults Terry espoused, once again running the Free World.

 

[Kram81]

Kevin Rudd deletes tweets calling Trump 'traitor to the West', 'most destructive president in history' — as it happened​

 

[Grier]

Kevin o seven is well known for his potty mouth and I hope he stays as our US embarassador. ... ambadsadore...?
I heard he's deleted all his on line vitriolic posts about Trump.
Still, Rudd is no yes man and will stand up to Trump as needed.
If Trump "fires" him we should send Tony Abbot to replace him. Budgie smuggler Tony does a great shirt front!
Turnbull also would do a good job. What about Keating (my choice) or Howard?? Or Pauline Hanson. I'd like to see that. Baraby Joyce ?
Meanwhile we have a great US lady ambassador here in Oz, Caroline Kennedy, 66yo daughter of JFK, ... and a top shelf ambassador with a great depth of experience and achievements. A true Kennedy we're lucky to have.

 

[Grier]

There's so much chatter now about Trump's total win, it's almost overwhelming. Europe and especially Ukraine are worried, Putin's still grumpy, China's stoic, ... At least the stock markets rose.