tom sarbeck

Thanks for that Eco. That was utterly hilarious. Can’t remember the last time I rolled my eyes that much. Oh thank you great American saviour for protecting us from the worlds boogeymen. Your uncountable military conflicts around the world have certainly made Europe a safer place and your escapades in the Middle East (and the unleashing of Iraqi,…[Read more]

Comparing modern European mixed system socialism with Nazi socialism or Soviet Socialism or Latin-American-Bolivarian-Socialism is like comparing Islamic-capitalism (think Dubia) with American style brutalist capitalism with Scandanavian style Capitalism with Chinese style pseudo-free-market-but-still-tyrranical-capitalism. It doesn’t make any…[Read more]

Yeah that poster has homophobic, trans phobic elements and bigotry towards Sikhs. It’s all in the wording really. If it was just a joke about two political leaders who have a minority government agreement “in love” I would understand it, but this image goes WELL beyond that.

I just heard a description of Trump, and laughed: Unfettered by Facts.

I don’t believe that even the most rabid “law-and-order” enforcers and politicians, other than Trump himself and a few small groups, would accept “CW2” as an option. The death and destruction of CW1 was not ignited by just a spontaneous, twitter-run flame-fest kind of…[Read more]

Indeed Glen. I really don’t mind light motivational talk like: “you don’t accomplish anything if you don’t try” or “you can accomplish many things with hard work, knowledge and some luck”. What I utterly DESPISE are the following forms of motivational thinking:

1. You can do ANYTHING if you just believe in it

2. Follow what successful people…[Read more]

hey Unseen I’ve read about Oregon in several newpapers (in Spain, Belgium and the UK). Your ballot measure this election for the decriminalisation of small amounts of drugs with the option for drug treatment is extremely newsworthy. Portugal has already done it (and it is de facto the case in some European countries) but Oregon would be the first…[Read more]

America is a fraction as generous with social support and progressive laws and EXTREMELY stingy on social programs (many non-existant in many states) as Europe/Canada/NZ/Japan, all under the petty excuse that it is too expensive, “personal responsibility” and [fill in the blank] and it pretty much shows across the country. The US has a level of…[Read more]

In fact I totally forgot about Malta which is technically bilingual (Maltese and English) where virtually everyone speaks English fluently. When COVID is over it is a good place to quickly pick up work. Reg is right about London. When I lived there I could get a decent paying office job within a day or two. After a little bit of experience you…[Read more]

I was, at some point, forced to choose between my Spanish passport and all my other ones and I chose the others (because you don’t need the Spanish passport if you have another EU one). Spain doesn’t allow citizens of other countries to obtain a Spanish passport without renouncing the other ones (unless you are from a former Spanish colony).…[Read more]

On the one hand we shouldn’t be so quick to idealise the European modern welfare state. I mean some countries are a whole lot better than others, that doesn’t mean it is a paradise for parents in all jobs (certainly the lower status the job the more likely your boss will face pressures to keep workers on as many shifts as possible) and yeah, it’s…[Read more]

In most of Western Europe companies offer all kinds of flexibility to parents with sick children. I don’t have a single friend in Spain or Belgium whose career was put on hold or faced aggressive bosses because they had to pick up their sick child and take them to a doctor or who wasn’t given a chance to make up for the work or even just paid for…[Read more]

Raising children is an investment in a country’s future, so women should be appreciated and compensated for their contribution to families. Then men, too, working for families at home. Imo the state should provide support and compensation per child, from -9 (or more) months of age through high school years. Requiring businesses, especially small…[Read more]

Whether it is social pressure or not is entirely relevant. Men in the 21st century put in tons more hours in housework and play a monumentally larger role in raising children than even 50 years ago which show attitudes can change if society is willing, for example to not overburden women with a disproportionately unfair burden of child rearing and…[Read more]

No. The only thing your study shows is that women in the bus driving and train driving sector are less likely to take overtime. It says NOTHING about equal pay. They are working in a rare environment where pay is mandated by the government and/or union. In other words equal pay is FORCED on them, not determined by the market and social bias. You…[Read more]

That is a study in one of the few work places where men and women are GUARANTEED the same wage. So in this case, yes, they make the same salary. So, in fact, there is no gender disparity in wages here so the only actual conclusion you can make from this article is that in the train and bus driving sector men are 50% more likely to ask for…[Read more]

I haven’t read her books so I cannot say. I just read in a review of her works that she gets into the supernatural and spooky new age ideas (stuff that cannot be verified or tested or falsified). Let me know what you think when you are done reading the book.

Most countries have a supreme court with a limited time on the bench and even have courts where the justices are selected by an apolitical committee. I don’t think it is brain science that a justice should be as apolitical as possible and not serve on the bench forever.

_Robert_ wrote:
[…] I play in some rock bands. This virus has turned some members into tRump fanatics, miracle cure advocates, 2nd amendment wing nuts, WHO haters, Chinese conspiracy dimwits all at once. Not sure I care to play music with them anymore. They will soon break curfew to assemble and I will not be part of it.

That was from April…[Read more]

Glen D wrote:
Must there always be an odd number of judges.

Oddly, the US Constitution doesn’t define the number of judges, nor does it define the number of representatives in the House except “according to a proportion of population” [parphrase]. Republicans have installed about 3/4 (or something terribly lopsided like that) in the past few…[Read more]