Non-IT News Thread
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One thing that I bet would lend some visibility into a political discussion, just as a general rule that I have learned, is getting people to think about and describe political ideals or high level viewpoints.
For example, I would guess that @Dashrender and @dafyre are likely republicans (little R, not the political party per se but actually supporting the concept of a republic - strong leanings towards Jefferson, Monroe and Madison) while I am, in general, a monarchist with strong leaning towards federalism in the American context (John Adams, George Washington and Alexander Hamilton would be my political figures of representation.)
These high level designs can shed a lot of light on the approach we take to other things.
For example, if I had to choose a period in Roman history in which to live it would be Imperial Rome under the emperors but I would guess both of them would choose Republic Rome under the senate.
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I'm interested to see if they agree with that assessment or if I guessed incorrectly.
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@scottalanmiller If you shoot just for the high level goals, then I think for me, you are quite right. However, for me, I would rather have lived among the Native Americans before they got invaded, lol. Things were much simpler then. Live with the land and not on it.
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@dafyre said:
@scottalanmiller If you shoot just for the high level goals, then I think for me, you are quite right. However, for me, I would rather have lived among the Native Americans before they got invaded, lol. Things were much simpler then. Live with the land and not on it.
So an interesting point of view or perspective about me and something that colours my perspective on the American story..... my family was from the New Netherlands colony which, unlike the British colonies, were not invaders but came and bought "right to live" on the land from the local Indians who then lived and worked side by side with the Dutch colonists. The "right to live" did not stop the Indians from also living there, just gave the Dutch to live there too. We were literally legal immigrants to the Indian nations but because they purchased the land (in accordance with how the Indians understood land ownership to include the rights of the sellers to remain living there) we were allowed to self govern on our "own" land.
When the British came and conquered the colony, they conquered us and the Indians together. But it makes for a very different viewpoint. I have no (known) Native American heritage, but my family has been here longer than the British, was never an illegal immigrant to the new land, never invaded, didn't steal the land, paid for it, etc. We were conquered by the British just like everyone else who "already lived here."
So I have a very different perspective on the American story, one far more related to the Indians than to the British colonists. The Dutch colony had no association with the slave trade, never conquered or attempted to conquer the Indians, never were illegal aliens, etc. Many of the "bad things" associated with the new world colonies don't apply to the pre-British colonial settlers.
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My family didn't arrive here until the mid 1800s (before the Civil war). I picked up a bit of the desire to be in nature from my direct descendents on both sides of the family. Before the great depression, my family owned a large portion of land in my home town that was used for farming. A lot of it now is still farmed and used for cattle, oh, and a church. Can't be in the Bible Belt without a church on every corner.
But to know that the "American" culture had a hand in pretty much eradicating the lifestyle of the Native Americans has always made me sad. That is why I consider us the invaders. It is nice to know that there are some folks that showed up over here and tried to do right by the Indians!
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@dafyre said:
But to know that the "American" culture had a hand in pretty much eradicating the lifestyle of the Native Americans has always made me sad. That is why I consider us the invaders. It is nice to know that there are some folks that showed up over here and tried to do right by the Indians!
Great book on the history of the New Netherlands colony: The Island at the Center of the World.
My family came over as one of the master farmers that came to rescue the starving colonists from the first wave - none of which could farm. My family started in Albany (the original colony) but didn't like being around people so moved to Long Island and were the first non-Indian residents of the island. I'm a direct descendant of the founder of Brooklyn. The Flatbush on the Jamaica Road was my family farm.
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Hey we climbed to 10K views on this thread! Not too shabby.
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Just saw this hit the news...
Mass Shootings Climbs to More Than One Per Day in the US for 2015
Staggering numbers. Important to note, this is a more accepted definition of mass shooting than what the FBI tracks, which is only mass killings, not shootings. This tracks four or more people shot, rather than three or more people killed. The FBI uses an incorrect term to alter the stat (similar to, but in the opposite direction, of putting suicides in with homicides) so the FBI number makes it sound much lower but doesn't track what it says that it tracks.
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McWhopper: McDonald's Turns Down Burger King's Offer to Create Joint Hamburger for Day of Peace
"We love the intention but think our two brands could do something bigger to make a difference," the McDonald's CEO said in a Facebook post. Burger King proposed the burger truce in full-page ads.
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Tropical Storm Erika: Storm Approaching Leeward Islands Could Become Hurricane, Forecasters Say
The storm formed late Monday night and was about 840 miles east of the Leeward Islands on Tuesday morning, forecasters said. Erika could become a hurricane by Saturday morning, CBS 4 reports.
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Bell County, Kentucky: Man Kills Himself in Courthouse After Sentencing, Police Say
A man who failed a drug test and was facing more jail time grabbed a bailiff's gun and fatally shot himself on Wednesday at the Bell County Courthouse, police said.
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Bimbo Bakeries: Company Recalls Bread Sold in 11 States for Possible Glass Fragments
Bimbo Bakeries issued the voluntary recall Wednesday after a customer reported finding pieces of glass on the outside of the bread, which may be from a broken light bulb at a factory.
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Justin Bieber Look-Alike: Man Who Underwent Surgery to Look Like Singer Found Dead, Report Says
Tobias Strebel, who is known for spending $100,000 on plastic surgery to look like Bieber, was found dead in a Motel 6 in Los Angeles Aug. 21, TMZ reports. He was reported missing Aug. 19.
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Not to re ignite the debate or anything, I thought that you lot debating the previous discussion might find this interesting...
Your debate got to tl;dr status, so I don't know if the link is relevant to your debate
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Chinese Markets Have Milld Recovery
Ending the week down only 8%, China is not in as bad of shape as they were.
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Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian's Lemonade Stand to Raise Money for Charity Shut Down in East Hampton, NY
Seinfeld's wife, Jessica, posted a photo on Instagram of the family with their hands on top of their heads and a police car in the background. Police said neighbors complained about illegal parking.)
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Illinois State Lottery: Organization Announces Delay in Payout for Winners
Under law, the state comptroller has to issue checks for lottery winnings of more than $25,000, but until a budget is passed they will be unable to do so. Winnings have been delayed since July 1.
Will this effect the state's credit rating? Two months of missing its payments is pretty huge.
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New Horizons headed to another object...
