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Epicurus

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Everything posted by Epicurus

  1. Bob Woodward's book, Fear, is an interesting read. I've gone through the first couple chapters. Bannon was extremely instrumental in guiding Trump's campaign and keeping the faith when almost anyone had given up, especially after the video, "grab them by the pussy." Bannon wanted to make the election about HRC's character, emails, and to attack the media and the ..Mexicans. Obviously this book is not for those who'd give a pass to Trump if he shot someone in the middle of Manhattan. Woodward confirms what we already knew about Trump. Anyone who has observed DT can see his character, ignorance, illiteracy, bad temperament, and how unqualified he is. Here's a nice short interview on PBS...
  2. No he is not. He's very sleek equating free speech with editorial control. The issue is not whether to prohibit him from uttering his garbage >>>> in the public square<<< but whether everyone (indeed private companies) have a right to not giving him a platform to spew his nonsense. Indeed Faux News exercises lots of editorial control (being a propaganda machine for the right) as to what they allow to go out. Carlson is a hypocrite just on this count alone. As if we are obligated under the free speech principle to give Alex Jones the Phantis platform.... Or, that.... (pick your religion) I claim the right to have access to your church audience to tell them that they're idiots for believing in fairy tales.
  3. I think they have found the territory between the 2 extremes... But, please tell me what you would have done. I assume you'd say no to anything "Macedonia." Fine. Well, they did it 30 years ago, and they've managed to be accepted by the international community and even Greece's partners/allies. What would be your options? EU and NATO, the US, UN all seem to be fine with this "New Macedonia" name and all think that FYROM made all the concessions and Greece is being unreasonable. You would do what now? [Greece did what you are suggesting: no "Macedonia" name anywhere. Well after 30 years, here we are....]
  4. I hear you, but you're not saying anything new, and you're not saying what you'd have done 30 years ago when these people wanted a new independent country away from Serbia (Yugoslavia) and invented a long lineage to boost their case. You'd probably have done exactly what all the previous Greek govs did..... reject anything with the name "Macedonia." Here we are today with a deal that denotes the geographical area, and hopefully this will be added to the already established name (and language) of Macedonia. The only other solution is to invade and occupy (maybe ethnic cleanse?) that country. The whole world has moved on and has already recognized them. If they have territorial claims any name you come up with won't change their minds. Would it?
  5. I hear you, but you're not saying anything new, and you're not saying what you'd have done 30 years ago when these people wanted a new independent country away from Serbia (Yugoslavia) and invented a long lineage to boost their case. You'd probably have done exactly what all the previous Greek govs did..... reject anything with the name "Macedonia." Here we are today with a deal that denotes the geographical area, and hopefully this will be added to the already established name (and language) of Macedonia. The only other solution is to invade and occupy (maybe ethnic cleanse?) that country. The whole world has moved on and has already recognized them.
  6. Stamp from 1939... Communist leader, Tito, renamed it Macedonia and Greece said nothing then.
  7. OK, may I ask what would you have done 27 years ago? [I'm also trying to figure out those "foreign interests"..... why would they support the Slavs instead of the Greeks?]
  8. For 30 years now, Greece has lost the game. The name "Macedonia" has been everywhere; nobody used FYROM or Skopje. Even the UN recognized the language of that tiny country as ..Macedonian. This is the last chance for ..Greece to win something. Anyway, for me it's a good solution.The "northern" shows the geographical area. Maybe this will be used from now on internationally, especially if the new country uses it internally (as they'd be obliged to), and people will understand the difference. Like, New Mexico, New Jersey, Northern Ireland, etc.... . If Greece has no territorial claims north of its border, then anyone who lives in geographical Macedonia can use the name, and that's what Greece should have been concentrating on..... the geography. And, the best way to be powerful and influence your neighbors is having a strong economy.
  9. I don't think you're disputing what I'm saying, unless you think I said that DNA is useless. Of course DNA has our genetic code, and certain characteristics are passed down from generation to generation. Even this is subject to mutations, evolution, and changing environment. The skin tone, size of body, shape of features, etc, change over time. Anyway, I was talking about culture, which is not passed through DNA. Technology may create eternal life if we don't destroy ourselves before that or that artificial intelligence doesn't destroy the human species. But, even this eternal life may be another evolutionary step. Machines and humans merging, for example. With changing environment, changing physical needs, and even climate change will be factors.
  10. I ask, again, what does your DNA matter, other than it makes you feel good being connected to some people that you have no memories of? If it's cultural, then again, such values are given to individuals not inherited via genetics. And, let's say, you have 100% the DNA of the greatest person(s) ever lived.... Are you asking for special treatment? Recognition of greatness simply because you're standing on the shoulders of others? Even if your father/mother was the greatest person, wouldn't you want to do something great yourself to get honors? At least if your father/mother raised you, you could claim they gave you their great ideas directly, but still you have to demonstrate something good yourself. If it's a civilization or philosophy of ideas, then they're available to everyone! The sons of Epicurus, Galileo, Newton, Locke, Mill, etc, aren't necessarily any better than you simply because of their fathers! Right?
  11. First and second generation immigrant groups try to keep their mother country's identity so they are conservative. Before they're accepted into the host country, their feeling of being special is based on their national & ethnic origin. I agree that the new FYROM name should be a composite that is always used in everyday language. This name would denote geography and not ethnicity. But, this is not what most Greeks like. It's my estimate that Greece should find a solution now, because in reality the name "Macedonia" has stuck. As someone else said here, the EU, UN, US, all think Greece is not being reasonable now after FYROM made so many concessions with name and constitution. If in the end, it's only Greece and Cyprus that don't accept a new name, then the game will be lost. Only a breakup of FYROM would change its name. The big powers do not want a new instability in the Balkans.
  12. Of course, that's to be expected. But, we have to ask a brave question? Why does it matter? Genes (DNA) don't carry cultural and historical memories. Your genetic ancestors' greatness (we never talk about their negatives) isn't passed as memories through DNA. It's the ideas, the civilization that you may feel proud of, but then all this is available to anyone. I don't have to be English to appreciate British literature, philosophy and science. Same with the Hellenic civilization's goodies. You, anyone can feel Hellene, or modern Greek, or love Greece, etc. Several ethnic groups rose against Ottoman rule. Many didn't speak (nor understood) Greek. I doubt that all knew about the Hellenic past. But, circumstances and geography made a nation out of these diverse people in the 19th and 20th centuries.
  13. The NRA has gotten tons of money from the gun manufacturers (whose interests represents in reality), and has spent lavishly through the Political Action Committees. Plus their members vote. Plus, they employ lots of lobbyists. Yet, things may be changing. For the first time in my memory big companies are severing their ties to the NRA, and there seems to be a continuing movement for gun control. This also may the year NRA-backed candidates (and the Repub party) suffer big loses in the Nov. elections, not necessarily because of this issue alone, but the message may be loud and clear: we need sensible gun control. On the federal side, I don't see any serious federal laws as long as Trump is president and Repubs control the Senate.
  14. I don't think Skopje will settle without "Macedonia" in the name. From the European and US perspective Skopje has taken positive steps for a resolution and Greece appears unreasonable. The name "Macedonia" has been almost universally accepted for many years now. It doesn't mean Greece has to agree to it, or to the new Skopje concessions, but if Greece is left alone on this, the case will be lost... or, until there will be a re-drawing of borders and different countries. An acceptable (meaning: practical) solution could be "Slavic Macedonia" ? This is descriptive of ethnicity + geography. Geographically Macedonia is in multiple countries, so by attaching a ethnic description to the name may be the solution. This acknowledges that Skopje is Slavic, not Greek. I'm saying all this without the knowledge in current backroom negotiations and interests at play. It could be that if Skopje must enter NATO and the EU, it may compromise further. But, what I know is that Skopje is known as Macedonia in the world right now. The longer it stays so, the stronger the meme.
  15. The evil Patriots must go down in flames!

    1. Lazarus

      Lazarus

      Tadaaa! 

       

       

  16. Yes, she was very unpopular and, as it seems, she didn't excite her base to come out and vote. But, these two represented two different worlds. She was qualified to be president. And, she would appoint competent people in vital positions. And, probably she'd be raising her own taxes instead. I think many voters don't really think about the greater implications of voting for a president. Probably they voted against HRC without thinking about the Supreme Court, the environment, science, education, health care, foreign relations, etc, etc. I'd like to think that most of us would call out a bullshitter like Trump no matter what party he belonged to. It was so obvious that he was either lying or didn't know what he was talking about. So obvious. It's like you walk into a room to talk about something you know nothing about.... you'd say generalities and bullshit that would make people happy. Hey, if you elect me to run Phantis I'll give everyone free internet access, money for every post, and a new car every month to the person whose posts are liked the most. Trust me, I'm very successful, and I can make Phantis great again. Just give me the keys!
  17. Republicans are morally corrupt, no matter how you slice it. But many Americans like that secretary voted for Trump, because, heck, he'll build a wall, bring back jobs, drain the pool, stand during the national anthem, and generally make America great again! I can't fathom how so many people have been duped by Trump. His lies are so obvious and he's bullshitting all his life.
  18. @BostonThanatos this is the case of using data to mislead. Yeah, cities have more people too. The concentration of big numbers have certain effects, like more car accidents, etc. Crime, too, will happen when there are more people congregating. But, those who believe (with no good reason) that having tons of guns available for ..anyone isn't a factor in gun violence will never accept facts! Also, the map above shows a correlation not causation. [too hard of a concept for some to comprehend; much like the difference between the median and average] Cities indeed have Democratic administrations in the US [cities tend to be Democrat, urban areas Republican, and suburbs mixed]; they also have strict gun laws. But guns filter in from surrounding areas or states with loose gun laws. Here's a study that attempts to examine the relationship between local crime and supply (origin) of guns. In NYC, for example, most of the guns used in crime come from Virginia and other states. "firearms have a knack for flooding into states with tough gun laws from those without. (To cite just one example: Sixty percent of guns used to commit crimes in Chicago between 2009 and 2013 originated outside of Illinois.) A state's gun laws, it seems, can be undermined by those of its neighbors." When will the gun owners realize that they're being played by the NRA? The gun lobby is a front for the gun manufacturers to sell more weapons. The high price of gun violence is being paid by everyone, including lawful gun owners. And, here's a thoughtful article about gun violence in the US.
  19. It's been customary that the best student of a school gets to carry the national flag during a parade his/her school participates in. As you may know, yesterday on 28th of October, it was a national holiday with parades throughout the country. I've heard that in 2 of them, the best students were denied this honor because they were not ethnically Greek. One of those students is from Afghanistan and the other is ethnically Albanian. The boy was allowed to march without the flag, but the girl in Santorini wasn't because a dozen fascists intervened before the parade started resulting in the cancellation of the parade after parents took their kids home fearing violence. This is not the first time such things have happened in Greece. What do you think? Personally, I feel it's a disgrace to deny any student any honor, or discriminate them, based on factors like race, gender, ethnicity, religion.
  20. Even though Oly came back late in the second half (first shot on goal 79'), PAO deserved to win this one as it was clearly the better team on the field today! Amazing. And if the greens had the 2 points deducted from last year, they'd be above gavroi today. I hope the people with money see that this club is worth saving and making it powerful again.
  21. For a derby, this is a good game in my opinion. PAO is playing very well and Lucas just scored! 1-0. The greens deserving to win, so far, based on their game. Gavroi haven't had 1 good chance yet.
  22. I think Oly has a better team. On paper it costs twice as much as PAO, but in the games between these 2 rivals anything is possible. The greens aren't competitive for the title, and the reds are struggling this year. I hope we see a good match and the home team wins. I'm not sure the majority of players for both teams truly know what this "derby" means... lots of new faces, and not many players stay put for several years to really identify with a team. Above all, I hope nothing bad happens in terms of violence.
  23. ^^^^ Ah, OK, it's about Hillary now. I never would have guessed..... Oh, and the fake news parade shows up on cue to muddle the issue further. The claim about increased burglaries is fake, drawn from a pro-gun nut's unsubstantiated claims*. But even if it were true, having no massacres since the gun ban, and the reduction of people dying from firearms is a significant progress. " The conclusions drawn in this piece were both premature and inaccurate, however. In a peer-reviewed paper published by American Law and Economics Review in 2012, researchers Andrew Leigh of Australian National University and Christine Neill of Wilfrid Laurier University found that in the decade following the NFA, firearm homicides (both suicides and intentional killings) in Australia had dropped significantly." And, "Similarly, Dr. David Hemenway and Mary Vriniotis of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center found in 2011 that the NFA had been “incredibly successful in terms of lives saved”.... the more guns I have the more free I am? * All sorts of crime has peaks and valleys. I can find any short period where I can find data to argue just about anything. Burglaries went up in Australia for a couple years after the gun ban but no direct correlation can be established. If seen over a long time, say from the gun ban till today, burglaries are significantly down. Again, mass shootings: zero. It doesn't mean there won't be any ever, but what we see in the US is crazy and ever more crazy that very little to address the scourge has been done.
  24. People have been saying that if nothing happened after Sandy Hook (where 20 young schoolchildren were killed), nothing will happen after the Vegas shooting. Today, I read an article in The Atlantic by D. Frum (conservative, former GW Bush speech writer), who said actually gun laws ..loosen after a massacre. Of course, gun sales go up too. "This may explain why gun advocates insist that the immediate aftermath of a spectacular massacre is “too soon” for the gun discussion. They want the pain and grief and fear to ebb. They want ordinary citizens to look away. Then, when things are quiet, the gun advocates will go to work, to bring more guns to places where alcohol is served, where children are cared for, where students are taught, where God is worshipped. More killings bring more guns. More guns do more killing. "
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