Politics

[WAB]

Not a political comment, but yes, Shigella is not for the faint of heart. I was hit with it during the Gulf War up on the Iraqi border a couple of months before things became less boring. I was the Brigade operations officer and the only US Arab linguist within a couple of hundred miles. Corps Artillery had set up and occupied forward assembly areas along Tapline Road, and for a couple of weeks. I spent too much time visiting local sheiks seeking forgiveness rather than permission for use of that terrain. None of these "rural" fellows were exactly English speaking MIT technocrats.

I am pretty sure it was the dates that nailed me at one of those meetings. In any case, I was fine when I stepped out of the HMMWV and not so fine when I staggered into the latrine five minutes later. After emptying myself at both ends, I managed to make it to the Brigade surgeon's tent and that is all I remember for the next few hours. I think they ran four IV bags and managed to get two Cipro tablets down my throat. By the next day, I was reasonably recovered. Like my Amex Card, I never leave home without a bottle.

I had a similar experience in Togo. Luckily, like you, I never travel in those areas without Cipro.

 

[rigbymauser]

Have you learned Arabic yet for your newly imported overlords?

We`ve learned english from our previous overlords..:LOL Arab will be next.

 

[mdwest]

By the next day, I was reasonably recovered. Like my Amex Card, I never leave home without a bottle.

It took me a little longer than a day to recover.. I suppose Somali lactated ringers and Sudanese cipro isn't nearly as effective as what the Army doc had in his stores lol.. but I was able to hobble onto an aircraft 3 days later and get back to the US (didn't miss a flight thankfully)..

Like you, I now never leave home "without it".. Ive got a really good primary care physician that understands I do a good bit of traveling, and that some of it is to the developing world (in some cases the almost completely undeveloped world).. he'll write me a prescription for cipro (lower GI), doxycycline (upper respiratory), and zolipedem (ambien, sleep deprivation) anytime I ask and allow me to carry them and self administer as needed..

Thankfully since South Sudan (that incident was in 2014 if I recall correctly) I haven't "needed" any of them other than a very rare occasion zolipedem.. but it is absolutely comforting to know I have them on hand when stepping away from the table at some restaurant in Chad and things don't feel quite "right" lol..

 

[mdwest]

I had a similar experience in Togo. Luckily, like you, I never travel in those areas without Cipro.

Not to side bar this conversation any worse than I already have... but...

If you (or anyone else here) has occasion to visit Togo again.. Ive had a team on the ground there in Lome for much of the last 7 years.. they do intermittent work.. so they'll be in country for 3 or 4 months, then home for a few months, then back in country for a few months, etc.. but they are there much more often than they are not..

One of the guys is an exceptional former special forces medic that maintains an aid bag that should be able to get folks out of almost any conceivable medical problem

He participates in training the togolese military and also acts as the team medic, keeping all of our guys healthy along the way... very competent and capable guy..

 

[Brent in Az]

The media loves distractions, especially if they have a glimmer of opportunity to shine a negative light on Trump.

Any word on the peace talks with Russia?

 

[Brent in Az]

I saw that the Whitehouse is going to have direct high level talks with Iran

 

[deewayne2003]

I am not sure what you are implying, but with respect to @Hank2211, I never would be confused with respect to either his intelligence or credentials. He has a long history here of providing some of the most thoughtful, informed, and articulate posts on a vast array of subjects. Something I certainly could not say about any number of other contributors.

I agree with you on @Hank2211 posts, as I enjoy them and what I said was not a condemnation of his credentials or education, but the simple assertion that someone is correct because of their education and self imposed excellence and touting education, in my opinion denigrates the otherwise thoughtful and concise content of said posts.

Just like there a people with deep pockets that assert it's solely because of their own financial acuity and has nothing to do with being born into generational wealth and quickly dismiss the economic concerns of the lowly serfs that cannot fathom their level of financial intelligence/excellence.

This also applies to the labeling of people as to instantly dismiss their opinions as irrelevant or simply unworthy of even considering........

"Well what do you expect from a (insert political, social, education, financial bias); their simply not capable of intelligent thought."

Lots of this takes place in the politics thread, although I will say that I'm rather proud of how politics are left in the politics thread and in general people on this forum both support and offer sound advice to each other.

"The only thing that will redeem man kind is cooperation." Bertrand Russell

 

[mdwest]

I simply had to return to this one after give it some thoughts. Should I say anything or leave this person in his believe??...

Europe consist of many individual countries so I speak from my(Denmark).

We have had several "warheroes" over recent history but what do you know really about history except what Hollywood has educated you with?
We have had several danes in the Franco/Pressia war, boerwar, WW1 and ww2. Some fought from the "other side". My grandfather fought in the winterwar 1939 on Finlands side and later in Waffen SS against Trumps friends in Russia(hahaha). Several danes fought in the SS against communist but also did atrocities too. We have 2 two danes who ever to recieve the British Victoria Cross outside England. Thomas Dinesen(brother of Karen Blixen) and Anders Lassen.
Christian Frederik von Schalburg who fought bravery until last breath and I could keep on going. As for other european nations I am sure there is a lot but they are not objects of worship and none of them went to Hollywood strike it rich and to educate americans in history. And yes we have war memorials but again what do you know?. Btw..next time you go to Mount Rushmore think of Denmark. If you don`t know why...ask around.

In regards to bravery: Are there bravery to be found fighting mexicans?(Hollywood think so)

The US is still a very young nation.. and the entire "western" history of North America (pre becoming the countries that are here now) is still very young as well compared to Europe and the rest of the world..

I think the history of Europe, not just its wars and war heroes, but also its history related to culture, art, business, religion, politics, etc is incredibly fascinating.. and is also one of its great appeals to better traveled and experienced Americans..

Like the US, Europe is far from a perfect place.. but something I have a great amount of respect for among European countries is the efforts they have taken to preserve their history when compared to other parts of the world..

in 2004 I stood among the piles of rubble that at one time was ancient Babylon, the oldest known civilization on earth.. it was covered in trash, debris, and garbage.. absolutely nothing was being done to preserve its appearance, much less its story..

anyone that's visited the great pyramids of Egypt will tell a similar story.. the pyramids are still there.. but the roads leading to them, and the grounds surrounding them are littered with plastic bags, garbage, animal feces, etc.. its a travesty what Egypt has allowed them to become..

the same thing is true of many sites I have visited across Asia and Africa..

But not true in Europe.. great care has been taken to preserve not just physical structures, but also the knowledge and wisdom that is involved in their stories.. and not just among the historians, but among the people in general..

I spent about a month in Austria in the late 90's.. a few weeks in Vienna, and a few weeks in a small town called Grob Siegarts.. while in Vienna one of the police officers I was working with took me to see St. Stephens Cathedral.. while we were there he pointed out damage to the structure that had not been repaired in almost 200 years.. then told me the story as to why..

Napoleon besieged Vienna in the early 1800's.. (1805 I think?).. during that siege, cannon balls struck the cathedral.. several of those cannon balls are still embedded in the structure and can be seen from outside the building..

This local cop knew the story of the turks invading and taking Vienna in the 17th century (multiple times), Napoleon taking the city back at the turn of the 19th century.. and could lay everything out in incredible detail about what happened, where it happened, why it happened, etc.. It was obvious that he was proud of his nations history, the major players involved, etc.. the tour he gave me of Schonbrunn Palace was even more impressive..

I grew up in Memphis, TN.. a city rich with American history (albeit all relatively recent history.. much of it of any relevance is less than 200 years old).. where the overwhelming majority of the residents couldn't even tell you why someone like Jerry Lee Lewis is an important figure to Memphis, or what the cotton trade means to Memphis (and has meant for more than 200 years), etc..

They know there used to be a statue of Nathan Bedford Forest in a park in midtown Memphis.. but Id guess that 90%+ of the people living there today couldn't tell you who Forest was, why he matters to Memphis, or what made him such a controversial figure (outside of the fact that most know he was a confederate general).

I think Europe has done a great job (so far at least) of preserving its history, to include documenting who its "heroes" are.. who the great villains were, etc.. and the average European can cite much of whats important to their local area dating back a few thousand years... Where sadly the typical Texan hardly knows who Sam Houston was and why he matters.. and he just died a little more than 150 years ago.. they certainly don't know that Houston was Governor of Tennessee long before he became "famous" for his various exploits in Texas..

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

 

[mdwest]

Huge rebound in global markets today with all of the tariff "talks" now being scheduled..

China up 1.58%
Australia up 2.27%
India up 1.49%
France up 3.53%
Germany up 2.92%
UK up 3.54%

and things are just getting started here on this side of the planet..

US DOW up 3.73% right now and Canadian Composite up 1.90% and MX up 1.54%..

Im not sure we'll see a total recovery from where we were a week ago within a week of today... but.. assuming things continue to trend correctly, I'd guess much of it will come back unless talks break down with one of the major players (EU, CA, MX, Japan, China, etc)..

If Im correct, the last week, and the week to come are HUGE opportunities that know how to play the markets well and arent risk adverse.. there will be a lot of new millionaires walking the planet (not just in the US, but all around the globe) by the end of April..

 

[Brent in Az]

Huge rebound in global markets today with all of the tariff "talks" now being scheduled..

China up 1.58%
Australia up 2.27%
India up 1.49%
France up 3.53%
Germany up 2.92%
UK up 3.54%

and things are just getting started here on this side of the planet..

US DOW up 3.73% right now and Canadian Composite up 1.90% and MX up 1.54%..

Im not sure we'll see a total recovery from where we were a week ago within a week of today... but.. assuming things continue to trend correctly, I'd guess much of it will come back unless talks break down with one of the major players (EU, CA, MX, Japan, China, etc)..

If Im correct, the last week, and the week to come are HUGE opportunities that know how to play the markets well and arent risk adverse.. there will be a lot of new millionaires walking the planet (not just in the US, but all around the globe) by the end of April..

Not long ago, I stated that this tariff panic would be short lived.
My forum detractors just sneer and throw out laughing emojis at my comments.

I always get the last laugh.

 

[Red Leg]

The US is still a very young nation.. and the entire "western" history of North America (pre becoming the countries that are here now) is still very young as well compared to Europe and the rest of the world..

I think the history of Europe, not just its wars and war heroes, but also its history related to culture, art, business, religion, politics, etc is incredibly fascinating.. and is also one of its great appeals to better traveled and experienced Americans..

Like the US, Europe is far from a perfect place.. but something I have a great amount of respect for among European countries is the efforts they have taken to preserve their history when compared to other parts of the world..

in 2004 I stood among the piles of rubble that at one time was ancient Babylon, the oldest known civilization on earth.. it was covered in trash, debris, and garbage.. absolutely nothing was being done to preserve its appearance, much less its story..

anyone that's visited the great pyramids of Egypt will tell a similar story.. the pyramids are still there.. but the roads leading to them, and the grounds surrounding them are littered with plastic bags, garbage, animal feces, etc.. its a travesty what Egypt has allowed them to become..

the same thing is true of many sites I have visited across Asia and Africa..

But not true in Europe.. great care has been taken to preserve not just physical structures, but also the knowledge and wisdom that is involved in their stories.. and not just among the historians, but among the people in general..

I spent about a month in Austria in the late 90's.. a few weeks in Vienna, and a few weeks in a small town called Grob Siegarts.. while in Vienna one of the police officers I was working with took me to see St. Stephens Cathedral.. while we were there he pointed out damage to the structure that had not been repaired in almost 200 years.. then told me the story as to why..

Napoleon besieged Vienna in the early 1800's.. (1805 I think?).. during that siege, cannon balls struck the cathedral.. several of those cannon balls are still embedded in the structure and can be seen from outside the building..

This local cop knew the story of the turks invading and taking Vienna in the 17th century (multiple times), Napoleon taking the city back at the turn of the 19th century.. and could lay everything out in incredible detail about what happened, where it happened, why it happened, etc.. It was obvious that he was proud of his nations history, the major players involved, etc.. the tour he gave me of Schonbrunn Palace was even more impressive..

I grew up in Memphis, TN.. a city rich with American history (albeit all relatively recent history.. much of it of any relevance is less than 200 years old).. where the overwhelming majority of the residents couldn't even tell you why someone like Jerry Lee Lewis is an important figure to Memphis, or what the cotton trade means to Memphis (and has meant for more than 200 years), etc..

They know there used to be a statue of Nathan Bedford Forest in a park in midtown Memphis.. but Id guess that 90%+ of the people living there today couldn't tell you who Forest was, why he matters to Memphis, or what made him such a controversial figure (outside of the fact that most know he was a confederate general).

I think Europe has done a great job (so far at least) of preserving its history, to include documenting who its "heroes" are.. who the great villains were, etc.. and the average European can cite much of whats important to their local area dating back a few thousand years... Where sadly the typical Texan hardly knows who Sam Houston was and why he matters.. and he just died a little more than 150 years ago.. they certainly don't know that Houston was Governor of Tennessee long before he became "famous" for his various exploits in Texas..

I love Austria and Vienna as well. But you misunderstood your guide. The Ottomans besieged Vienna several times - most notably in 1529 and 1683. Fortunately for Western Civilization, they failed.

I have always felt that Western Europe's (particularly Germany and Austria) most lasting recent cultural effort was the restoration of their cities and historic sites following the destruction of WWII. An incredible national effort went into finding images - photography and art - to restore whole districts that had been demolished by allied bombing. I doubt one tourist in a thousand realizes the Hofbrauhouse in Munich survived as a facade, the damage done the Cologne (Koln) Cathedral, or the Residence Palace Wurzburg, or indeed the medieval heart of virtually every city in Central Europe.

 

[Brent in Az]

People in Europe have known for a long time what an idiot Trump is, and not just because of his nonsense about tariffs. In Germany, people are ashamed that Trump has German roots.

Putin and Hamas etc are definitely not in the background, this idea is absurd. Perhaps Americans, unlike Europeans, are unable to deal with more than one issue at the same time?

History reminds us, that there was a time when the whole world was ashamed of Germany. Millions of Jews can attest to that fact.

Your opinion of Trump and the USA means absolutely nothing to us

 

[John Wasmuth]

 

[mdwest]

People in Europe have known for a long time what an idiot Trump is, and not just because of his nonsense about tariffs. In Germany, people are ashamed that Trump has German roots.

Putin and Hamas etc are definitely not in the background, this idea is absurd. Perhaps Americans, unlike Europeans, are unable to deal with more than one issue at the same time?

Calling Trump an idiot.. is, well... idiotic...

Like him or hate him, there is no denying he took his fathers very large and successful business and turned it into a global empire worth billions (despite what nay sayers will scream about like bankruptcies, illicit businesses, etc... he is indeed a multi billionaire.. and all of his children have individual net worths ranging from $350M to $1B beyond Trumps personal net worth).. like him or hate him, there is no denying he figured out a way to convince a country with 330M+ people to put him in the Whitehouse, not once, but twice.. like him or hate him, what he is currently doing appears to be working.. the EU capitulated within a matter of days, Canada and MX capitulated, Japan is now at the negotiating table, etc..etc..

He might well be a bully, and an asshole.. some might even see him as a tyrant..

but if he is an idiot, what does that make Olaf Scholz, Starmer, Macron, Van Der Leyen who have been bested by Trump indisputedly already a couple of times in just the past few months?

Trump threatened, and the EU capitulated within less than a week.. the UK, Canada, Mexico, etc.. all non EU member nations have all capitulated to one degree or another.. in fact 70 countries around the world are all now standing in line waiting to negotiate "deals" to get out from under the tariff issue.. China is pretty much the only major nation left truly holding out.. which may in fact be a very bad position for them if the rest of the entire world decides to re-define what trade looks like and China remains the only country attempting to adhere to the old methodology...

No one says you have to like Trump.. Im an American and I don't particularly like him.. but I respect what I know him to be (a ruthless businessman that has learned from his past mistakes like filling his cabinet with career politicians rather than loyalists, counting on congress to support agendas rather than making his own path to further his agendas, etc)..

But if you truly in your heart believe he is an idiot.. you and your country have succumbed to a level that will only bring more discomfort over the next 4 years..

it is far better to recognize your adversary for what it is, than make up something that makes you feel good, but does nothing to better your position..

You should read a bit of your countryman Carl Von Clausewitz's work.. Clausewitz understood that the intent of conflict was to compel an adversary to submit to ones will.. and emphasized the importance of understanding that adversarys' capabilities and their motivations while exploiting their vulnerabilities..

Trump is exploiting vulnerabilities and believes he understands the capabilities and limitations as well as the motivations of EU nations in terms of its economy.. and it is clear that despite all of the screaming the EU is indeed submitting to Trumps will (an offer of 0:0 tariffs on industrial products yesterday from the EU is very strong evidence of this)..

The EU would do well to attempt to do the same and try to understand Trumps capabilities, limitations, and motivation, while trying to find real, valid vulnerabilities... crying nazi and idiot doesn't appear to be working very well..

 

[mdwest]

I love Austria and Vienna as well. But you misunderstood your guide.

Very possible...

Or... just as likely, Ive gotten old, and cant properly remember shit these days

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Calling Trump an idiot.. is, well... idiotic...

Like him or hate him, there is no denying he took his fathers very large and successful business and turned it into a global empire worth billions (despite what nay sayers will scream about like bankruptcies, illicit businesses, etc... he is indeed a multi billionaire.. and all of his children have individual net worths ranging from $350M to $1B beyond Trumps personal net worth).. like him or hate him, there is no denying he figured out a way to convince a country with 330M+ people to put him in the Whitehouse, not once, but twice.. like him or hate him, what he is currently doing appears to be working.. the EU capitulated within a matter of days, Canada and MX capitulated, Japan is now at the negotiating table, etc..etc..

He might well be a bully, and an asshole.. some might even see him as a tyrant..

but if he is an idiot, what does that make Olaf Scholz, Starmer, Macron, Van Der Leyen who have been bested by Trump indisputedly already a couple of times in just the past few months?

Trump threatened, and the EU capitulated within less than a week.. the UK, Canada, Mexico, etc.. all non EU member nations have all capitulated to one degree or another.. in fact 70 countries around the world are all now standing in line waiting to negotiate "deals" to get out from under the tariff issue.. China is pretty much the only major nation left truly holding out.. which may in fact be a very bad position for them if the rest of the entire world decides to re-define what trade looks like and China remains the only country attempting to adhere to the old methodology...

No one says you have to like Trump.. Im an American and I don't particularly like him.. but I respect what I know him to be (a ruthless businessman that has learned from his past mistakes like filling his cabinet with career politicians rather than loyalists, counting on congress to support agendas rather than making his own path to further his agendas, etc)..

But if you truly in your heart believe he is an idiot.. you and your country have succumbed to a level that will only bring more discomfort over the next 4 years..

it is far better to recognize your adversary for what it is, than make up something that makes you feel good, but does nothing to better your position..

You should read a bit of your countryman Carl Von Clausewitz's work.. Clausewitz understood that the intent of conflict was to compel an adversary to submit to ones will.. and emphasized the importance of understanding that adversarys' capabilities and their motivations while exploiting their vulnerabilities..

Trump is exploiting vulnerabilities and believes he understands the capabilities and limitations as well as the motivations of EU nations in terms of its economy.. and it is clear that despite all of the screaming the EU is indeed submitting to Trumps will (an offer of 0:0 tariffs on industrial products yesterday from the EU is very strong evidence of this)..

The EU would do well to attempt to do the same and try to understand Trumps capabilities, limitations, and motivation, while trying to find real, valid vulnerabilities... crying nazi and idiot doesn't appear to be working very well..

Such a business genius that he would have been money ahead to invest in the s&p 500 and do absolutely nothing in business? He’s bankrupted casinos, hotels, airlines , a football league, a university and a whole host of other ventures. If not for an inheritance he’d be a realtor at best and Likely a braggart no one could stand at the local golf course.

As for trying to understand trump who stands a chance of that he never says the same thing twice.

Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father (Published 2018)

The president has long sold himself as a self-made billionaire, but a Times investigation found that he received at least $413 million in today’s dollars from his father’s real estate empire, much of it through tax dodges in the 1990s.

www.nytimes.com

The biggest single thing he’s successful at is image manipulation

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

@mdwest take away his money and his leverage for a minute and answer me a simple question. On an equal playing field would you enter into business with anyone who exhibits the traits Donald trump does? Proven lier, bombastic statements, long history of failures in business, you’ve said yourself you think he’s an asshole if not for the advantages he got in life from his inheritance do you believe anyone would of done business with him?

 

[Altitude sickness]

It’s a shame all the parties can’t get together and resolve the trade barriers,currency manipulation, and intellectual property theft.

Most share in the blame and most would benefit from a resolution.

Something had to happen at some point, and maybe there is something to the strategy of blowing it all up at once, instead of prolonging it and it and never getting it done due to our four year focus.

On paper, the US should be in a stronger position to negotiate than China. But in reality, the Chinese are used to struggling and pain. The US is not. We are a self-centered, short attention span, immediate gratification generation. And the Chinese surely know this.

It could be argued the last generation that would’ve viewed this as an economic Cold War. And as their patriotic duty. Would have been the greatest generation. That’s probably the last US generation that has truly struggled.

We are concerned about a $200 TV becoming a $250 TV. And pretending that is a doomsday struggle, we cannot copel with.

Estimates are the tariffs could cost the average household from 3500 to $5000 per year.

But Somehow, we managed to survive through Bidens $17,000 per year inflation.

What concerns me more than paying $20 more for a TV. Is China has now been given a scapegoat to blame all their woes on and they will use these tariffs to blame all their financial problems on. So since they need this excuse, they will not be in a hurry to end this trade war.

And worse than that, it will probably give them, in their minds cover to go after Taiwan

The market will stabilize where it truly should have been anyway. The market needed a haircut and eventually was going to correct anyway.

it will be China and the US remaining in this trade war. Everyone else will come to the table because that’s the smart thing to do.

 

[Brent in Az]

Such a business genius that he would have been money ahead to invest in the s&p 500 and do absolutely nothing in business? He’s bankrupted casinos, hotels, airlines , a football league, a university and a whole host of other ventures. If not for an inheritance he’d be a realtor at best and Likely a braggart no one could stand at the local golf course.

As for trying to understand trump who stands a chance of that he never says the same thing twice.

Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father (Published 2018)

The president has long sold himself as a self-made billionaire, but a Times investigation found that he received at least $413 million in today’s dollars from his father’s real estate empire, much of it through tax dodges in the 1990s.

www.nytimes.com

The biggest single thing he’s successful at is image manipulation

I dont know? He seems to be pretty successful at getting under your skin.
You are welcome to enlighten us as to your extensive knowledge of the corporate business world, and how you became a billionaire genius, mistake free?