Can I strong second a good pair of noise cancelling headphones. I used the Sony WH 1000 XM3 and now use the the Sony wf 1000xm4 since the latter is in-ear and easier to carry around. The noise cancellation is phenomenal. Pair this with a mindfulness playlist from a variety of composers and your senses will be detached from distractions around you.
Well that explains a lot. Seriously though, for a wealthy first world nation the levels intellectual rational debate in America is generally pretty shockingly poor.
>> Acknowledging religion as something that deserves any sort of deference by the State isn't acceptable.
What next, enforce a communist uniform on everyone and strictly control their freedom to express their thoughts? Do you realise how ludicrous you sound? I note you're French and your religious expressions laws are not made in the name of secularism, rather specifically intended to discriminate against a sizeable minority.
Presumably your also include a Christian Cross necklace? What about a symmetric cross that's visibly a cross but not a traditional cross? A cross at an angle?
You're entitled to express your point of view, of course, but please be more convincing and informed than a nationalistically ideological charlatan (how ironic).
>What next, enforce a communist uniform on everyone and strictly control their freedom to express their thoughts? Do you realise how ludicrous you sound?
You're making leaps in logic that don't make sense to me. You're the one being ludicrous, as far as I can tell.
>I note you're French and your religious expressions laws are not made in the name of secularism, rather specifically intended to discriminate against a sizeable minority.
At the time those laws were made, the absolute majority of the country was made of church-going Catholics. That at the present day they're mostly invoked in relation to a religious minority doesn't make any difference.
> Presumably your also include a Christian Cross necklace?
Sure.
> What about a symmetric cross that's visibly a cross but not a traditional cross? A cross at an angle?
Is it a token of belonging to a religious organization ? If so, keep it private. I don't see what's complex about that.
> You're entitled to express your point of view, of course, but please be more convincing and informed than a nationalistically ideological charlatan (how ironic).
I'm informed about the political and religious history of my own country, and as such transversely familiar with the framework Atatürk tried to put in place in Turkey. I'm less familiar with the ways it started breaking down. And frankly, you're not in any position to demand better argumentation on my part if you're not doing as much yourself.
You're arguing either in bad faith or completely devoid of reality. Lower mortgage rates allow existing property owners to pay off cheap houses and further expand portfolios, affecting supply. Meanwhile, zero property owners need to amass increasingly large deposit/downpayment as banks limit lending to a salary multiplier. This is really basic stuff.
Personally (early 30s) this stresses me out almost every day. Just the anxiety of knowing in 10 years time I will be on the chopping block daily, regardless of how good I am. And frankly my generation has ridiculous education and housing debt so we're going to have it a lot worse than you - sorry to use the obligatory term - boomers.
"In 10 years time I will be on the chopping block daily"
That's a pretty maximal-fear approach to take. In my 30s I was afraid of lack of steady income, but the idea that you'll be washed up without an income as a software developer is a lie your fear is telling you. But there will be gaps in employment for various reasons, so expect that. It's not a problem, just make sure you have six months or so of cash like they say, although the longest I've gone without a job is four months, and that was in the .com bust. Also, know your worth. What does a developer with 10, 20, 30 years of experience bring to the table? Find places that need that. I've found contract work to be really helpful in getting perspective. As a contract worker, I am essentially selling the ability to solve your problem (doesn't matter what environment or language, although I'll be faster in ones I know), and as a contractor, I am selling disposability. You don't want me for whatever reason, no problem, it's been a pleasure, let me know if you need anything in the future. (Of course, my rates are priced accordingly.) Full-time employees are selling something a little different, like reliable future availability. Companies aren't out looking every day for who they can fire (if you're at one that is, quit), they are desperately trying to get things implemented because their imagination exceeds their development capacity. If your company doesn't value you or what you bring, find one that does. There are lots of companies out there needing an incredibly diverse set of problems solved. One of my early clients needed to analyze some PostScript code; I got the job because I'd dabbled in writing PostScript back around the time it came out so I could claim some experience. That's pretty obscure! There are lots of jobs out there, and I guarantee that if you are competent, there are multiple companies out there that find your experience is just perfect for what they need.
No chance, AIPAC, BICOM and various lobby groups ensure politicians are in the pockets of the Israel lobby. This isn't to say other countries don't have corrupt lobbying practices. But the unilateral multibillion dollar IDF funding raies questions.
A while back, I'd agree with you but I'm starting to think this is a generational issue and that the younger generations are internalizing the truth about Israel. We could see a massive shift once they get control of the country en mass. I think it has already started and is moving faster than I would have predicted even a year ago.
There is also the chance of the US losing a lot of its power through various means (ie. Dollar losing reserve currency status, US military being tested by China and losing etc.). If this happens, they may be forced to cut Israel loose. Israel has no other solid allies and so they will flounder for a while but eventually sink because once the US is out others will be free to begin economic sanctions and the country cannot survive that indefinitely.
In both of these scenarios, the lobby groups become less effective and possibly get defeated. Long term we are moving towards a world where lobbies become less powerful. Its going to take decades though.
At least you're honest about wanting to dismantle Israel, could be nice if we got rid of the 1967 border/settlements bullshit. The "occupation" doesn't mean crap to the hard left, it's all occupation.
I just wish the US never got involved in this mess. It was a massive mistake that led to numerous downstream negative consequences for the US and its people.
The "hard left" sees Israel for what it always has been: A settler/colonial state. Israel will continue to push propaganda to bury this but the truth can never be erased.
Who knows, maybe it never happens. If climate change brings about tens of millions of new refugees I don't think people will have that much time/energy to the so called Palestinian refugees anymore. They will have to get along like everyone else.
It will be interesting to see how climate change affects the area.
There is a possibility of a significant economic decline in the US caused by climate change such that the US will not be able to help Israel anymore just due to lack of resources.
Most of the countries in the region will be swallowed by the desert and that may include Israel. Even though Israel is at the forefront of mitigation technology, it does not seem like it is enough from what I have seen.
What churlish asinine myopia. Plenty of people affected by life changing disruption to their living conditions and communities. Seveal years of putting your life on hold is a big deal.
Ironically, by your own admission, you simply highlighted Israel's infrastructure control on Gaza. So it's not merely a military occupier but controls food, water and electricity supplies to the imprisoned population. But hey, thanks for your generosity to allow a trickle of aid supplies through.
"Transfers of fuel for the power plant were stopped by Israel during the Gaza War in May 2021 and resumed by the end of June."
Sure, how about I drop a 30 second "door knock" before I blow your life to smithereens because I feel like your 10 story building might be hiding a few kalashnikovs? Feel free to evacuate to the few hundred meters of free space in the world's largest open air prison. The simple fact is: this is colonialist ethnic cleansing and the only reason it goes unchecked is because of historic Western guilt uncritically favouring the Israeli state for geopolitical reasons.
Nope. The UK also has plenty of tarnished conscience (we were the mandate holder for Palestine immediately before the creation of Israel and played communities against each other, as we normally did in our colonies). The French also played their dishonourable part in carving up the middle east with us. Plenty of guilt to go around.
