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Showing posts from November, 2020

(18n - NL) Zich schuldig voelen - Hoe ver terug in het verleden?

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2020-11-11: Herdenkings- of Wapenstilstandsdag, omdat we degenen die in oorlogen stierven om de vrijheid van anderen te verdedigen niet mogen vergeten. Maar sommige mensen vergeten om de mensen die vandaag leven te vergeven voor wat hun voorouders deden, vaak omdat ze vinden dat de offers die hun volk brachten onvoldoende worden erkend. De afgelopen maanden waren er protesten in de VS en in andere delen van de wereld nadat videobeelden lieten zien hoe een zwarte man werd vermoord door een blanke politieagent. Aangezien soortgelijke arrestaties met dodelijke afloop eerder plaatsvonden en daarna doorgingen, zijn mensen boos omdat zij en vrienden nog steeds racisme ervaren dat hen eraan herinnert hoe slecht hun voorouders werden behandeld, d.w.z. gedwongen deportatie van Afrika naar elders om te werken in het voordeel van hun blanken (en andere) meesters. Maar ook protesteren veel blanken omdat ze boos zijn dat zwarte vrienden nog steeds anders behandeld worden dan blanken. Inderdaad,...

(18n-EN) Feeling guilty - How far back in the past?

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2020-11-11: Remembrance or Armistice Day, because we must not forget those who died in wars to defend the freedom of others. But some people forget to forgive the people living today for what their ancestors did, often because they feel that the sacrifices their people made are insufficiently recognized. In recent months, there have been protests in the US and other parts of the world after video footage showed a black man being murdered by a white police officer. As similar fatal arrests took place before and continued after that, people are angry because they and friends still experience racism that reminds them of how badly their ancestors were treated i.e. forced deportation from Africa elsewhere to work for the benefit of their whites (and other) masters. But also many white people protest because they are angry that black friends are still treated differently from whites. Indeed, our behavior today determines whether people forget or continue to be reminded of the evils of the pa...

(12ac) Greta Thunberg, a towering teenager whose message angers adults

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A film has been made about Greta Thunberg , Swedish climate activist. Like her or not but one has to admit she was a towering figure during the past years who managed to mobilise worldwide people to tell those in power that they don't want to earn even more when that means they die on a dead planet but instead protesters informed people in power they have the approval to act to reduce more damage to the environment and halt climate change. Below some commentary and extracts from the article.  Remember the UN summit in New York when an angry Ms Thunberg who says she is rarely angry, told delegates:  " People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairytales about eternal economic growth. How dare you! ".  Indeed, eternal growth isn't possible because it results in greed to have always more that drives people crazy and destroys as I discussed before while economies need to be c...

Trump versus Biden: candidates in US's presidential electing, white versus white

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A long article about the divisions in US's society where for centuries white Christian males were power and decided who could rise or be imprisoned. No longer. Concerning the male dominated society, journalists mostly refer to Mr Biden's choice of Senator Kamala Harris as running mate as potentially the first black Vice-President in case Mr Biden becomes the next president. But, that is no longer really remarkable because a black man, i.e. Mr Obama, became even president. No, what really matters is that she is not only black but also an intelligent woman, someone who may increase Mr Biden's chances. Compared this with Mr McCain's choice of Mrs Palin who destroyed his chances to become president. And thus it may be the first time such a high positon for a non-man with the possibility that she becomes the first black FEMALE president in case Mr Biden dies, a possibility at his age. Thus, for misogynistic people, Mr Biden must survive. Or, they may vote fo...

(10n) Abortion, still controversial as it concerns children, although unborn

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I wrote a number of posts about abortion and why it should be possible in exceptional situations such as after rape, to save the mother's life when things go wrong and when the foetus has a serious illness. Abortion shouldn't be another way of birth control as for this contraceptives should be used although I understand the pregnancy may be an accident and thus unwanted or the mother doesn't have the finances to support a child. A growing  opposition to abortion is worldwide , including in Europe and the Americans but again and again people protest against stricter laws such as earlier in Spain  and Alabama . I also understand people who oppose abortion as it concerns unborn children; unless when it concerns a foetus with abnormalities because people who love children don't want that people will suffer their entire life after birth. In addition, techniques are now available that can detect genetic defects in foetus so only healthy foetuses are implanted in the mother ,...

(11n) October 2020, in France a month to forget

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The month October. A further slow build-up of tensions between the West and Muslim countries. The reason? Terrorist attacks in France as a result of the publication of cartoons by the magazine Charlie Hebdo whereby certain caricatures depict the Prophet Muhammad, even when the magazine knows this is unacceptable for many (religious) Muslims as it suggests they are all extremists and thus their publications will increase tensions with Muslims and radicalise some as the terror attacks against the magazine and later attacks proof.  For me,  it is unbelievable that people want to sacrifice themselves and even loved ones because they are angry about pictures. Still, as God says in old books, let those who want to die for God die for Him. But, it is sad that innocent people die. And thus potential terrorists should be stopped, the reason why telecom companies should be able to save and store telephone calls for a certain period (of course, with respect for the privacy). But, believe...