THE WORLD - Past...Present...and Future. . .

Thoughts and opinions on the latest events in the news. What is life like in your homeland? People and events that shaped history...

There are an infinite number of problems going on in the world right now but I would think the entire world is waiting for the end of this...(and who will be taking his place!)

The Middle East...

So, the Israel/Palestine conflict seems to never end and seems it never will...Is there anything that can really be done?

Is anything really being accomplished right now by either side? Israel bombs Gaza...After Hamas fires rockets into Israel...

So, this war may have saved Israeli lives but Palestian lives are obviously being lost...It seems Israel has eliminated a large number of Hamas militants but lives are not necessarily being saved, just a matter of which ones...Would you say anything is being gained? We have obviously seen this played out a hundred times only to return to the same place.

One cannot just allow rockets to be fired into their country, so one must respond. But, is the response killing a few terrorists only to breed a million more?

Is there anything that can be done to fix this? Or is it just a lost cause that will only end when the world itself comes to an end?

Technology and Government:

I watched a Rick Steve's video on Denmark. There was this beautiful country where people leave their produce or products for sale on the side of the road to be sold using the honor system! Or the bike rental place that did not require ID or a deposit, they just trusted that you will return it! Beautiful landscapes, buildings old and new, local cafes and stores (not large corporate chains for miles). But they seemed perfectly at one with modern technology too. More than anything, the people came across very educated, happy and peaceful.
Try using the honor system here or hoping that the local shops will actually survive in Wal-Marts shadow!

I recently read Obama's biography and there are chapters on his visit to Kenya. He was shocked how much people take care of each other there, despite the conditions they live in. It was the norm to put yourself and your needs AFTER others. He asked about this and one of the elders said that since there is no real gov't to save you when you fall, they have never depended on that. There is no unemployment or disability check, foodstamps and such. Basically they only have each other to depend on and so they never lost that idea of taking care of each other. He talks about the same experience in small villages in Greece or other parts of the world that are not obsessed with materials and technology and use it less but seem to have a better quality of life. Yes, I know Africa has a lot of issues, but the sense of love, family and community was the most important thing in their life.

With all the money in the world, is America or other wealthy countries actually better off? Is the gain of a cheap new hd tv, upgraded computer or a car worth more than a human companion, helping another or creating a sense of community? Does knowing that all that cheap product was made in less than humane conditions, yet we buy it anyway, somehow add a negative energy to the world? Do we even care?

It seems the world is more and more looking like an all or nothing situation and we need each other to survive, yet people still do not act like this?? Is greed and desire too strong for the human soul to deny? Are we past the point of hope? Does the almighty USA have something to learn from the smaller, less wealthy countries of the world?

I watched a Rick Steve's video on Denmark. There was this beautiful
country where people leave their produce or products for sale on the
side of the road to be sold using the honor system! Or the bike rental
place that did not require ID or a deposit, they just trusted that you
will return it! Beautiful landscapes, buildings old and new, local
cafes and stores (not large corporate chains for miles). But they
seemed perfectly at one with modern technology too. More than anything,
the people came across very educated, happy and peaceful.
Try using the honor system here or hoping that the local shops will actually survive in Wal-Marts shadow!

lol that guy showed you what you wanted to see, denmark is no paradise, infact many danes are force to live in sweden because of Denmarks slightingly racist government. most countrys allow you to live there if you are married to a citizen. if you aren't of a "wanted" nationality you must however be maried for atleast 5 years before you are even allowed to stay in denmark for a longer time.

but it is true that we still have ancient buildings and small local stores in the middle of citys. if you walked down the main shoping street i guess 75% would be big corporate chains. but if you just turn of and walk the smaller streets i guees only 10-15% would be corporate chains. every neighborhood will have one or two foodstores or smaller walmart like stores from corporate chains. but also alot of local stores especially in the workingclass, multiculured parts of towns

ecthelion of the fountain wrote:

I watched a Rick Steve's video on Denmark. There was this beautiful
country where people leave their produce or products for sale on the
side of the road to be sold using the honor system! Or the bike rental
place that did not require ID or a deposit, they just trusted that you
will return it! Beautiful landscapes, buildings old and new, local
cafes and stores (not large corporate chains for miles). But they
seemed perfectly at one with modern technology too. More than anything,
the people came across very educated, happy and peaceful.
Try using the honor system here or hoping that the local shops will actually survive in Wal-Marts shadow!

lol that guy showed you what you wanted to see, denmark is no paradise, infact many danes are force to live in sweden because of Denmarks slightingly racist government. most countrys allow you to live there if you are married to a citizen. if you aren't of a "wanted" nationality you must however be maried for atleast 5 years before you are even allowed to stay in denmark for a longer time.

but it is true that we still have ancient buildings and small local stores in the middle of citys. if you walked down the main shoping street i guess 75% would be big corporate chains. but if you just turn of and walk the smaller streets i guees only 10-15% would be corporate chains. every neighborhood will have one or two foodstores or smaller walmart like stores from corporate chains. but also alot of local stores especially in the workingclass, multiculured parts of towns

well he didn't get into the details about citizenship, the government or how the people living there came to be? racists towards what group? or just anyone not white? sorry to hear it is just another shitty place on earth afterall. it was still beautiful, or at least the parts he showed! I will have to say that there may be a lesson to learn as far as their immigration policy. Of course America is a melting pot and I like it that way but if we just let the entire world come over all at once, we will eventually bust at the seems...Looking like we are almost there!!

we have small local shops too but they have a terribly difficult time making it, if at all. Current economic situation doesn't help of course. But it is the super rich that more or less got us into the mess to start with not the average people.

well EU law prevents them from stopping other EU members from living there. but unless you are white or from eu and fall in love with a Dane you will have to wait 5 years, even after marriage before you can live in Denmark. which is not only racist but very stupid, since most rich western nations have a "one child/single lifestyle" that actually requires immigration to not fade away slowly by each generation. and this is alredy staring to show in denmarks larger citys. you can get to denmark in 20 min from my town, so many teens go there to get work. my sister found herself a good job at one of the nice clothing stores, along the main shopping street in copenhagen in less then an hour. if it hadn't been for the bridge between denmark and scania, copenhagen would soon be in serious trouble from lack of workers.

Of course America is a melting pot and I like it that way but if we just let the entire world come over all at once, we will eventually bust at the seems...Looking like we are almost there!!

The problem is that the majority of the US population is living in the Coastal states and mostly in the big cities of those states. These cities are where people are drawn to, whether they are from a different state or different country.
There are huge parts of the US that are scarcely populated. Compare the difference in size and population between Montana or Wyoming to New York.
We've got plenty of room, it just that not very many people want to live in Middle America.

thats how the whole world is... just take a look at sweden where i guess about 90% or more live in the southern half

NY and Montana are both northern states, but NY is much smaller and is still much more populated and popular than Montana. It could be a cultural thing, there really isn't much cultural unity in the States.

But even just outside the big cities, there are huge areas of unused, empty land that looks perfectly liveable. When I briefely lived in LA, I lived in the more rural part of the area, and the place I lived was surrounded by acres of land that was very inexpensive and it was still close to the city, yet not very many people lived there.
It's just strange to me, and being a very odd person myself, that saying quite a lot...maybe.

its not only about north and south it's also about transportation, you simply didn't build a larger city without good connections to the sea.

Yes...water and all that...still my original point is that the US is not as crowded/over populated as everyone claims it to be.

Kick out the 50 million illegals that we have and we'll even have an excess of room.

Did you know that we actually have 10 percent of Mexico in the US.

Kick out the 50 million illegals that we have and we'll even have an excess of room.

We have a lot of excess room already, people just don't want to live in the excess room that is available.