tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073364830340344762024-03-08T15:51:16.320-08:00Wine Digger and Other AdventuresChat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-6648846661766690202014-12-25T10:34:00.000-08:002014-12-25T10:52:36.199-08:0025 Years Ago, Ceusescu Was Rightfully Killed (Yes!)Today, I joyfully celebrate the killing of the Ceausescu regime in Romania. I am overjoyed that Communism is dead and a super crazy symbol of Communism is gone forever.<br />
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Some people today think that the 2 Ceausescus should not have been killed the way they were, but the way I see it I would have killed that pair of dictators with my own 2 hands, without a
trial, and on any day of the year prior to Dec 25, 1989.<br />
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Those 'mofos'
brought misery and total destruction to the entire people of a very
proud nation. Did they ever deserve a fair trail? I do not think so.
They got a better trial than many of the people they sentenced to death
over the years, no doubt about that.<br />
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This is a great lesson for all wannabees dictators everywhere. Become a
dictator, please, and do not be surprised to see what comes your way. Badaboom biatches!<br />
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I read in total dismay how some people regret Ceausescu's regime and I cannot fathom for even one second how this could be. His regime disallowed property rights, freedom of expression, freedom of movement, individualism, and terrorized all those who disagreed with the communist ideology.<br />
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People were extraordinarily poor under his regime and had to stay in line for hours to be able to purchase basic grocery items, such as bread and milk. How could anybody not remember that? How could they just dismiss how they felt under communism?<br />
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Maya Angelou once said "<span class="st">I've learned that people will forget what <em>you</em> said, people will forget what <em>you</em> did, but people will never forget <em>how you</em> made them <em>feel".</em></span><br />
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<span class="st">I will never forget and forgive Ceausescu for the way his regime made me feel.<em><br /></em></span>Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-50877079078591445522014-12-06T16:48:00.001-08:002014-12-27T09:43:32.431-08:00Russia is a Weak Emotional NationRussia has become an incurable and dangerous bully. My fear is that they will be in Crimea for a very long period of time, if not forever, and nobody will be able to do anything about it. No nation will stand up to Russia until they attack a NATO country.<br />
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Unlike traditional bullies Russia has incredible fire power and very few allies. They have a strong army and are able to impose their will on a large number of nations. Russia needs to be stopped from attacking Poland and Romania and any other nation in Europe.<br />
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The values of soft power are unknown to Russia and, even if no other reasons existed, Russia cannot be considered a role model or a global power. A role model and a true power needs to connect emotionally with others. Russia uses only fear to connect with other nations and they have no concept of hope, optimism, future, or well being. We cannot be well when the government tells us what being well means.<br />
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Russia has no financial sophistication and lacks historical backbone to be a virtuous nation. Russians often say that millions of them have been killed in the 2nd WW but they never mention that Stalin was the main reason behind this reality. The realization that Stalin actually wanted to see so many Russians killed during the war eludes them. They actually think they deserve more credit for defeating Hitler than the rest of world has given them. However, Russia, like the rest of the world, would have not defeated Hitler without the economic might of the United States.<br />
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Economic power founded on freedom and free choice are what makes a lasting great nation. Russia is not a lasting great nation.<br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-73531070041415150262014-04-19T17:45:00.004-07:002014-04-19T17:45:50.071-07:00God: the Good Cartoon CharacterTomorrow, Christians celebrate Easter. It is a celebration that is supposed to represent birth, biblical 'I-told-you-so', and re-birth. Christians have <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/18/opinion/parini-jesus-easter/index.html?hpt=hp_c3" target="_blank">stolen</a> this supreme representation of divine traits from prior religions and civilizations in order to preserve the 'continuity' of thought across history and gain credibility.<br />
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Theologians have created the Christian Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) as a sort of philosophical sandwich that can cover all bases and present defenses against any and all potential intellectual threats. It functions as an armor, the theologians must have thought. But the charade has been revealed. The gig is up. Other planets may have life just like our Earth. We are getting better and better at managing our lives using our brain power.<br />
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We cannot disagree, no matter how religious we might be, that God is a sort of a universal spiritual cartoon character that battles 'evil' (Satan) and we, as spectators, have to choose a side. No <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/5-unanswered-questions-jesus-142434829.html?bcmt=comments-postbox" target="_blank">rational</a> person can choose to support the evil side in a battle, and for this very reason, God appeals to our natural inclinations, to be on the side and defend the 'good'. Our ally (hero) is good, others' maybe not so much.<br />
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From a believer's perspective, God can do no harm. He is the main action star of a universal comic book. No matter what happens, God intended for the outcome -whatever that may be- to happen. Even if it means that thousands die, or some individuals may get sick, God wanted it that way. For reasons that are not clear at all. The justification for evil done in his name is handy, as God is always good. Get over it. Grow up. <br />
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It is ironic and absurd to entertain this train of thought as we transform into beings without morality and without free will. Why would we want that? It is time to ditch supporting the good cartoon character. Support science and support knowing. Believing is very easy, if you close your eyes. Open your eyes and stare at reality and the desire to know becomes the true focus. Believe in what you may, but when you know something it can alter your beliefs. Religious beliefs are very weak when facing reason.<br />
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Move on people, grow up, and admit that nobody can ever 'save' us. We
are who we are as that is how we are and not because somebody decided
how we should be.
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Beliefs are feelings and science is knowing. Knowledge trumps feelings any day, and any place. I would rather know than feel. I would rather know how to cure cancer than feel (believe) there is a cure. I would rather know I can do something to save my peers, if I need to.<br />
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Scientific and financial education is key to our knowledge and certainty. Religion is like social ballast. It is a drain on how we think and it is a waste of brain resources.<br />
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Let's know more and more, people and let's believe less in things that cannot be proven.<br />
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Let feelings of joy and fulfillment feel our souls because we know how to save people from earthquakes, natural disaster, and diseases. Amen!<br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-823237039965569802014-03-30T14:44:00.001-07:002014-03-30T14:44:14.885-07:00Let's Send the Russian Bear Back to Siberia, Where It BelongsThuggery is defined by doing what one wishes without any repercussions. Russian frustrations of becoming less globally important after the collapse of the Soviet Union have materialized by the Russian forces taking over Crimea. Pure and simple. If Russia wants it, Russia gets it. <br />
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Russian forces have occupied Crimea and then organized a highly biased referendum for either increasing Crimean autonomy from Ukraine or for accepting that Crimea become a Russian territory. This happened without much debate and time for the Crimean residents to understand the meaning of this Russian takeover of Crimea.<br />
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How is this a free choice, Russia? You have your army on the ground and then pretend that you intervened to 'defend' the Russian minority in Crimea from the oppressive Ukrainian authorities. Nobody ever heard of any such abuses. Ever.<br />
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I hate Russia and I equally hate the fact the West will not be able to cope with Russian aggression in an effective fashion. Russia is an energy power house and Europe depends on Russian energy far more than any other region. Without the participation of the European nations in the economic sanctions against Russia these will not work.<br />
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Russia can do more economic harm to Europe than the reverse by refusing to sell its energy to Europe. This is true at least in the short term. Russia has started an action countdown clock and I hope that Europe will massively divest from the Russian economy since what Russia has done to Ukraine can be repeated, without much warning, with almost any other country of the former Soviet Union. It is only a matter of time, and Europe needs to be ready to pounce and hit the Russian bear on the snout to send it back to Siberia, where it belongs.<br />
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<br /> Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-22719693481283711422014-02-23T15:03:00.003-08:002014-02-23T15:03:33.509-08:00The Sochi Olympics Ended Triumphantly and NBC Coverrage Lost All CredibilityI am elated that the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games ended with no sign of terrorism, collapse, or any type of disaster, as many American/British media were predicting before the Games began.<br />
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The games were spectacular, but not because I could watch them on NBC.... <br />
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I actually watched the games live, without interruption, and with no NBC interference. I accessed the games online, using VPN software to access European TV stations. Superb. Events without comments and I could really enjoy listening to the sounds of the athletes and the games without commercials and American bull droppings.<br />
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The only really bad thing about people who could not access European channels is that NBC has a TV monopoly on broadcasting Olympic games in the US.<br />
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Complete and utter failure. NBC is absolutely pathetic. USA-centric and incomplete coverage, inability to show how the US is part of a global family. Totally disappointing and infuriating. NBC sucks!<br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-66823002757583133912014-02-16T10:49:00.002-08:002014-02-16T10:49:20.238-08:00Grifone SangioveseLast week I ran into a very affordable Sangiovese at Trader Joe's. I purchased a whole case as it was only$3.99/bottle.<br />
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I had never had this Grifone wine before last week and I was very skeptical. I thought we were going to end up using the wine for cooking.<br />
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As it turned out, the wine is medium bodied and crisp. It has a clarity of taste that makes it very easy to drink with ravioli or heavier pasta dishes. It is not rich or heavy but it is pleasant and uplifting.<br />
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Drink up! At less than $4 a bottle, the Grifone Sangiovese is superb as daily table wine. Unpretentious, simple, and direct. I find it to be a perfect companion to most kinds of sheep cheese. <br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-63518916345109308602014-02-12T17:46:00.002-08:002014-02-12T19:17:11.648-08:00Nuland Comment Aside, for Ukraine, the USA and EU Offer a Better Alternative than Russia Victoria Nuland made a questionable comment towards the European Union and this has enraged quite a few observers, including me.<br />
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However, for both Ukraine and Europe alike, US offers a much better option than Russia. One needs not look too far to notice that almost every place where the US economic psyche is/was present the people in those places are better off than any alternatives. They are better off compared to both before when the US presence began and by looking at countries where the US economic spirit could not be instilled.<br />
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South Korea, Japan, Western Europe, and even China are much better off after being and growing under the American mentality than before that.<br />
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Eastern Europe, Cuba, and North Korea are examples of places where the American economic model could not be implemented because of Soviet tanks and pressure. All these places were much worse off than the alternative. The alternative is 100% American. No ifs, buts, or debates.<br />
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Even now if you go to almost any Eastern Europe country, from Poland to Romania, the vast majority of people will tell you that Russia is evil, pure and unadulterated evil. They are like a bad moonshine that, when consumed, it destroys everybody's health. Slowly but unequivocally.<br />
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Russia cannot win as they have no moral backbone. They claim that they liberated Eastern Europe from the Nazis but they forget to mention that the price of that act was pure slavery for the people of Eastern Europe for almost 50 years.<br />
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They did not free Eastern European countries to make those countries better off than before. No! They did it so that it could run despicable experiments on them. They did it so that Russia could develop and totally control a shield against the West. Miserable bastards! Disgusting pigs!<br />
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Individual freedoms (speech, association, religion, etc.), freedom of the press, economic determinism, individual choice, creativity, market value, market forces, wide-spread development, growth, accountability, independence of the judiciary, value of education are all concepts that make the American psyche much more valuable, when applied as a package, to any other country on the planet.<br />
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Russia has very few of these memes and, because of that, it cannot win long term battles. However, it can win localized battles (such as in Ukraine). But, at some point, those battles will have to be redone and I have little doubt that the US psyche will win over. No doubt whatsoever.<br />
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I am not even sure that Russia will win the battle over Ukraine.<br />
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The EU and its mentality can win in Ukraine and the US will have to back the EU, even if the US thinks that the EU is not very strong. At the end of the day, the US is much closer to the EU than the EU would like to openly acknowledge.<br />
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Nuland's 'f...k EU' remark was actually a very friendly remark, when we take a much broader perspective.<br />
<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-88647533705208828282014-02-09T14:19:00.001-08:002014-02-11T18:20:30.295-08:00How Victoria Nuland Became Victoria FucklandIt is almost certain that the Russian Federation released the 'Fuck the EU' recording of Victoria Nuland.<br />
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Russian Federation released the Fuckland recording to the public as quickly as they could. Even though the US may classify this fact as 'dirty', it is, without many doubts, unmistakable that the US government's credibility has fallen to new lows, lows not seen since the Vietnam war.<br />
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Here are the main arguments supporting my statements.<br />
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1. NSA spying revelations which show that the US pays only lip service to the concept of 'individual privacy' (a constitutional sanctioned right);<br />
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2. Relative number of people incarcerated in the US prisons shows that the US judicial system has been taken over by private interests as more and more prisons are operated by private corprations;<br />
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3. The Guantanamo prison is still operational after more than 10 years since it was opened by the Bush administration which shows that the US can bend the laws just like David Beckham could bend the soccer ball while pretending that human rights are the most important driver in the conduct of US foreign policy;<br />
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4. The FED's quantitative easing (printing money at will, with no direct authority from the Congress) by buying US debt at an incredible rate which -directly or indirectly- makes the US dollar the most quantitatively important currency in the world;<br />
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5. Wealth distribution and inequality. The US has the highest GINI coefficient of all developed nations. <br />
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I love the US and what it stands for, but when Victoria Nuland makes point-blank statements to the Ukrainian US ambassador that we should 'Fuck the EU' then I feel like the US has lost all its ability to influence global policy makers, as who is to say that some European policymakers do not shout 'Fuck the US' (behind closed doors)?<br />
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The radicalization of US diplomacy will become more and more obvious and other countries will start to push back with more and more strength.<br />
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The singularity and strength of the US diplomacy has started to become more and more militaristic and this will only embolden Russia and China and make them, even more determined than now, to pursue their agenda via military spending expansion rather than 'values agendas'.<br />
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The US used to stand for human rights and that does not fly anymore. The US used to stand for economic freedom and that does not fly anymore, given the complexity of tax code(s) in the US. The US used to stand for relative equality between all Americans and that does not fly anymore in the face of wealth inequality we are witnessing. The US used to stand for top notch infrastructure and that is starting to fall by the wayside.<br />
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What do really we want the US to stand for? <br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-40785110814373286772014-02-07T18:42:00.000-08:002014-02-07T18:42:36.473-08:00The US Warns Americans that They Should Expect No Privacy in Sochi. WTF?Are you f..ing kidding me? The US is <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/u-warns-cybersecurity-privacy-threats-sochi-olympics-002634464--oly.html" target="_blank">warning</a> Americans traveling to the Olympic games in Sochi that they should 'expect no privacy' while in Russia and accessing Russian networks. What? Am I reading this correctly?<br />
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Have we not just learned that the US spies on everybody indiscriminately, regardless of whether they are in the US or not, regardless of whether they are Americans or not, and regardless of reason. We cannot tolerate this duplicity of our government and we must demand that the US stop spying on all of us before we can go around the world and tell others that they should not be spying on our citizens.<br />
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Also, today I just learned that a high ranking US department <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL_GShyGv3o" target="_blank">official</a> -<span class="st">assistant US secretary of state, Victoria Nuland- </span>has made a highly offensive remark towards the EU and the statement was recorded, apparently, by the Russian intelligence services.<br />
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Kudos to the Russians not just for recording the conversation in high definition but also for posting it on YouTube. I just love the timeliness of this release and the fact that it shows how hypocritical the US government has become with its international actions. Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-65859880341838444872014-02-06T16:05:00.002-08:002014-02-11T18:16:58.427-08:00Never Forget the British Media On Their Coverage of Romania (F..k You, Britain!)Lately, Romanians have been made to look like complete and unmistakable losers by the British media.<br />
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The sad part is not just that the media are <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2544542/Romanian-came-Britain-job-no-one-REALLY-wants-knife-throwers-assistant.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490" target="_blank">ostracizing</a> an entire nation, but also that the British political class has fully <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/jan/23/pcc-dailymail" target="_blank">endorsed</a> this state of affair. Entire nations can be made to look bad with extreme ease and this is even truer under the auspices of the British language's dominance of the internet.<br />
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What I do want to clarify is that I would like to see statements from the political makers in Romania to make it evident that Romania will never, ever, forget the execrable British attitude towards Romania.<br />
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Romania should reserve the right to respond in kind and to the full extent of propaganda to such aberrant attitudes shown by the British media and British authorities.<br />
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From a conceptual perspective it is relatively easy for the Romanian government to start promoting hacking -albeit indirectly- of British media and government agencies and do so in such a way that the entire media focus will quickly start to change and begin panicking about real 'problems'.<br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-88518196431847140892014-01-27T18:00:00.002-08:002014-01-27T18:04:00.371-08:00The Government is Watching Us Non-Stop And At WillToday I am <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/01/27/nsa-spying-through-angry-birds-google-maps/?intcmp=latestnews" target="_blank">reading</a> that the 'authorities' <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/report-spies-smartphone-apps-track-people-190434189.html" target="_blank">can track</a> everything we do based on the apps we use on our smartphones.<br />
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Is this really surprising? If you want total privacy then you need to ditch all forms or electronic communications and devices. The government can track what you do 'ex post facto' and use the info it gathers in a court of law, with no 'pre-post facto' means of defense.<br />
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Justice is no longer possible. The government can see all the cards all the time.<br />
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Communists only dreamed about that, and, ironically, our 'democratic' society managed to achieve total surveillance with no democratic and judicial supervision whatsoever. Officials would tell us that there is 'judicial oversight'. Really?<br />
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Our only defense against government abusing their powers is to stop using electronic means of communication. Face to face meetings and sheer electronic disobedience. Do no trust anything you see... Your devices have been made slave -bitches- to security agencies. Your thoughts are no longer yours alone. <br />
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Trust is quickly becoming an incredibly difficult concept to acquire. Isolation and deception are the new currencies we need to be dealing with/in. <br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-40042443488432230892014-01-27T16:26:00.000-08:002014-01-27T16:26:46.356-08:00The Daily Mail and How To Sell HatredI was reading how <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html" target="_blank">The Daily Mail</a>, a despicable British paper, was warning its readers that millions of people from Romania were going to emigrate to England immediately after Jan 1, 2014. In case you did not know, on Jan 1, 2014 the labor markets in Europe were completely open to all Romanian workers.<br />
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The Daily Mail, in its <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2531440/Sold-Flights-buses-Romanians-Bulgarians-head-UK.html" target="_blank">crazily</a> poor <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2531793/Roma-Britain-defecating-peoples-doorsteps-says-Tory-council-leader-warns-burden-Romanian-Bulgarian-immigrants-place-public-services.html" target="_blank">reporting</a>, has become hysteric and totally incomprehensible in its hatred for Romanians. <br />
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The paper was literally foaming at the mouth and could not stop from making awful comments about all Romanians. I hate your guts, The Daily Mail. Suck my dick and lick my balls, retards!<br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-33238959649462573492013-12-21T17:33:00.001-08:002013-12-21T17:33:15.937-08:00I Applaud the Hackers Who Stole 40 Million Credit and Debit Cards from TARGETTARGET was <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/20/news/companies/target-credit-hack/index.html?iid=HP_Highlight" target="_blank">hacked</a> over a very busy shopping period and about 40 million debit and credit cards were stolen. It gives me joy to say that I am <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/business/target-offers-shoppers-discounts-investigators-look-overseas-2D11786402" target="_blank">reading</a> that hackers in Eastern Europe may be behind this heist. Yippee ki yay!<br />
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I am happy not because 40 million customers have been directly affected. The affected customers are only 'collateral damage' - I am one of them- and will be taken care of by the all powerful banks. I am thrilled because this event clearly shows that there is no way to protect a computer network, no matter how much money one throws at it.<br />
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In this case, I am quite sure that the Eastern European hackers only had a few thousand dollars to play with. They are using their brain power and their computing smarts to disarm a company security systems that cost hundreds of millions of dollars a year and I am elated to see that money cannot defend a network. Yippee ki yay! Again.<br />
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Expertise and constant questioning by freelancers can defend a network and companies and government agencies should encourage hacking as a way to increase our skills and abilities in this area. One cannot learn how to hack -at least not proficiently- in a classroom and this has to be recognized by our government. <br />
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We should not prosecute hackers as criminals but use them as allies and place them all in a 'public corporation' paid for with our tax money. Let all freelancers out there -even in Eastern Europe- prove that they are experts by hacking the 'hackers corporation' first... The public company will then issue instructions on how a network needs to be set up to be able to withstand any type of cyber attacks. Their job would be to break into any company they can...<br />
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Socially, by using hackers as a public resource, we would be better off. Besides, this approach would be far cheaper than the current mentality/approach that states that hackers are the bad guys and they will pay for their misdeeds in the judicial system. We all pay more for banks' and retailers loses, either directly -higher prices- or indirectly -inconvenience, taxes, etc.-.<br />
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Au contraire, hackers are serving a social good, just like vaccinations. Let's learn how to harness the power hackers have and put it to good use. Why do we continue to vilify them?<br />
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Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-8519317920781167202013-12-20T16:54:00.002-08:002013-12-20T19:13:26.552-08:00Snowden Is Slowly Emerging as a True American PatriotThe US government is trying to get a hold of Edward Snowden to put him on trial for revealing 'national secrets'. Mind you, that the 'national secrets' were collected with the help of a secret court and using secret methods so that we would not have been able to find anything about them until who knows when... <br />
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Snowden did us 'an unprecedented solid' by revealing the true magnitude and <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-secret-contract-tied-nsa-security-industry-pioneer-001729620--finance.html" target="_blank">deviousness</a> of the US spying capabilities as well as the fact that the NSA could spy on anybody, anytime, on any channel, and for whatever reason they wanted. It was a total black secret, so who cared? <br />
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It was clear to me from day one of this saga that Snowden is a true national hero, but it took the <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/obama-hints-changing-phone-records-collection-201034261--politics.html" target="_blank">media</a> and the American people a few months to pretty much <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/snowden-revelations-may-lead-spying-curbs-032004246.html" target="_blank">realize</a> the same thing and I am thrilled about that. I am literally jumping up and down as I am typing this entry.<br />
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A federal judge <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/nsa-phone-record-collection-ruled-unconstitutional-195617077--finance.html" target="_blank">ruled</a> unequivocally that what the NSA is currently doing is totally illegal and unconstitutional and I could not agree with him more. We are lame ducks and guinea pigs in an unprecedented experiment in which the government is capturing and monitoring every single electronic communication move we make. <br />
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The current, NSA led, spying activities on our citizens are not only dangerous for the entire society as it stymies the freedom of speech and can destroy legitimate business initiatives but it could also be totally disastrous for our democracy should an unscrupulous president be elected.<br />
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A legitimately elected president (turned rogue while in office) could cherry pick individuals -in Congress or not yet in Congress- he wanted to blackmail and ask the NSA for secret reports on them 'on national defense grounds'. He could then blackmail them at will to get to, for instance, pass any laws he wanted. How would the NSA be able to deny such requests when the FISA court rulings are 100% secret and can be easily influenced by the president?<br />
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Reforming the NSA and government spying are badly needed. I was reading some <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/us-review-panel-urges-wide-ranging-nsa-spying-211059446.html" target="_blank">ideas</a> generated by a panel selected by the WH to reform the government spying activities and it would be great to have all of them implemented right away. The funny thing is that the president will decide what the next steps are and this is infuriating as the current spying programs and methods were created by the NSA and they should be dismantled by the courts. Their replacement should come from congress action and not just from the executive branch.<br />
<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-48050748183986849392013-12-20T16:32:00.001-08:002013-12-20T16:32:17.214-08:00North Korea Leadership Would Be Really Funny...Today I was <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/20/world/asia/north-korea-threats/index.html?hpt=hp_bn2" target="_blank">reading</a> that North Korea sent a fax to the South Korea's Ministry of National Defense stating that it would strike South Korea 'mercilessly and without notice'. What?<br />
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I am rubbing my eyes in disbelief and imagine it is a joke but sadly it just cannot be. North Korea is an insane place, absolutely crazy and unpredictable.<br />
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Leaving aside the fact that they sent a fax -who uses faxes anymore?- why would they make it sound like it did not count? <br />
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This is absolutely hilarious and reminiscent of a skit that would be played out by Monty Python or SNL. I just can imagine the crazy North Korean president just bursting into madness and envision how one of his generals, trying to appease him, proposed that they just sent a 'menacing' fax... And it actually happened.<br />
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I just have a feeling that North Korea will fall apart soon. The North Korean leader is as unstable as it gets, in my opinion. <br />
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We should make the North Korean leadership <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSD4vsh1zDA" target="_blank">listen</a> to The Black Eyed Peas 'I Gotta Feeling' song, but my feelings are not that happy as far as North Korea is concerned.<br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-85347994273265730242013-12-09T17:10:00.003-08:002013-12-09T17:10:50.286-08:00We Need a Single Payer Healthcare System (SPHS) in the United StatesI am reading that Colin Powell <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/colin-powell-pitches-single-payer-health-care-us-185113825--abc-news-politics.html" target="_blank">favors</a> a single payer system to address all the shortcomings of the US healthcare system.<br />
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Although I should be careful with Mr. Powell's positions, given his strong support of the Iraq war, I truly agree with him and I believe that a single payer system would address most of the existing inadequacies of the US healthcare system.<br />
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1. Access <br />
2. Affordability and coverage<br />
3. Yearly mad dash to buy insurance<br />
4. Outcome<br />
5. Cost<br />
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1. Access <br />
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We currently have an N-tier healthcare system where people with money can have any procedures they want and the poorest of all can only access ER and all the other 'providers' in-between.<br />
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SPHS would eliminate all barriers to entry if you pay social security taxes. I would expect a SPHS would increase the social security taxes to allow payments for this new universal benefit. <br />
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2. Affordability<br />
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Currently we do not know how healthcare prices are set. Doctors, hospitals, insurers, clinics, pharmaceutical companies, etc. can set any prices they want 'just because'. <br />
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No doubt that SPHS will eliminate insurance intermediaries and all insurance savings will make healthcare more affordable from a price perspective.<br />
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3. Yearly mad dash to buy insurance<br />
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SPHS would eliminate the requirement that we do anything to obtain health insurance next year. We just pay the extra social security premiums and we are instantaneously covered. <br />
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4. Outcome<br />
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If you need to see the 'final' healthcare outcome, please <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/10/health-costs-how-the-us-compares-with-other-countries.html" target="_blank">compare</a> the US with any Western European country and see for yourself. Even Cuba does better than the US, and they use a SPHS. <br />
<img alt="http://newshour.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2012/10/02/Primary_care_sector_is_not_performing_so_well_slideshow.jpg" class="decoded" src="http://newshour.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2012/10/02/Primary_care_sector_is_not_performing_so_well_slideshow.jpg" /><br />
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5. Cost v. Benefits<br />
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We spend a significant chunk of change on healthcare, both collectively, as a nation, and as individuals.<br />
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As a matter of fact, in terms of efficiency, Bloomberg <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/visual-data/best-and-worst/most-efficient-health-care-countries" target="_blank">ranks</a> the US on the 46th position, behind Libya, Thailand, and Romania, among others. We are spending over $8,600/year per person on healthcare (over $715/mo). This is insane, if you think about it, as the figure includes toddlers and senior citizens...<br />
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<img alt="http://newshour.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2012/10/02/US_spends_much_more_on_health_than_what_might_be_expected_1_slideshow.jpg" class="decoded" src="http://newshour.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2012/10/02/US_spends_much_more_on_health_than_what_might_be_expected_1_slideshow.jpg" /><br />
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<img alt="http://newshour.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2012/10/02/At_17.6_percent_of_GDP_in_2010_slideshow.jpg" class="decoded" src="http://newshour.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2012/10/02/At_17.6_percent_of_GDP_in_2010_slideshow.jpg" /> Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-70991807487875337732013-12-07T15:32:00.000-08:002013-12-09T17:48:21.799-08:00On Nelson Mandela and TerrorismNelson Mandela, the president of South Africa, died on Thu, Dec 5, and I am reading that 4 -current and former- US presidents will attend his funeral, on Dec 15th.<br />
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RIP, Mr. Mandela.<br />
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It is beyond ironic -and a bit unsettling- to see how the US reveres Nelson Mandela while it considered him a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/07/conservatives-south-africa-apartheid_n_4404684.html" target="_blank">terrorist until 2008</a>. 5 years ago Mandela was a terrorist and now 4 US presidents go to his funeral and consider and speak of him as a 'hero'. I am wondering if any US president(s) would have traveled to Mr. Mandela's funeral had he died in -say-2007...<br />
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I just cannot wrap my mind around this type of hypocrisy shown by the US government. At the same time, I am certain that individuals who currently are considered 'terrorists' by the US government may actually be social mavens and represent legitimate social movements.<br />
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How can we trust that -at any given time- the US really 'knows' who the real 'terrorists' are? <br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-71945565580513572962013-12-06T16:19:00.001-08:002013-12-08T09:20:35.419-08:00FIFA Should Sell the Rights to Name the World Cup Finals Groups And Pay Me an Idea FeeJust like today's WC draw, I always enjoy the final draw for the WC final tournament but I am terribly bothered by the fact that the groups are identified by letters as opposed to -for example- companies' names and/or products. <br />
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Would it not be awesome if, let's say, the group of death would be named 'Samsung Group of Death'? Instead of 'Group C' a group's name could be 'Ford Explorer Group' or any other company or product name, such as 'Nike Hypervenom Group'.<br />
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A group's name could even be the name of one the official partners/sponsor. FIFA -and I- would make a chunk of change by selling the group naming rights and I would like to get a portion of that.<br />
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If FIFA does decide to do this I would like to receive 15% of the naming rights revenue FIFA receives. I am almost certain FIFA could make at least $5,000,000 for each group name at a final WC tournament.<br />
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Then, imagine the extra money to be made when the announcers call out the groups or posters/media materials are made/printed with the companies' names right where the group letters exist now... The group names would stick with a tournament forever: video games, stamps, newspapers, etc. will always have the company/product names listed as the group names.<br />
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This idea could be applied to other tournaments, such as basketball, tennis, and hockey, and these tournaments can be sporting or artistic events....<br />
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The concept could also be applied to all competitions where teams are assigned to groups and I would like to get 15% of all proceeds resulting from the naming rights. <br />
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On Fri, Dec 6 2013, I have actually sent an email to FIFA about my idea and proposal. Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-69467461036558781302013-12-02T17:33:00.001-08:002013-12-03T16:02:21.848-08:00Amazon's Drones And My SolutionI watched last night how the CEO of Amazon bragged about the possibility that Amazon would be able to use -within the next several years- drones to deliver purchased merchandise to people's homes within 30 min from placing the order (and within 10 miles from a 'fulfillment' center).<br />
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That is awesome!<br />
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But I think there are better solutions for this problem. Here is the solution I am envisioning.<br />
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1. Each household can have a set of drones, each with particular capabilities, (range, duration, etc.) and each with an assigned pad (a 10 x 10 foot area or similar);<br />
2. Each drone has assigned a unique ID, similar to how cell phones, computers, and devices have a unique MAC address;<br />
3. When a household member makes a purchase they can dispatch one of their drones to go fetch it, if within range of the vendor's warehouse;<br />
4. Each drone is associated with a specific home base and a respective landing pad coordinates; <br />
5. When dispatched to retrieve packages, each drone acquires a flight path lease that is unique for a very short period of time (maybe 20 min). This path cannot be used by any other drone for that time frame. Paths can be possibly mapped with radar devices mounted on existing cell towers.<br />
6. Drone signals the coordinates and time elements to a centralized drone paths clearing house and the clearing house stores the fact that the path is 'busy' and cannot be leased to any other drone for that time frame;<br />
7. The centralized clearing house receives updates -from the drone- on current coordinates as the drone flight develops and updates internal database; <br />
8. Drone with specific/authenticated/assigned ID travels to the merchant's warehouse on the uniquely leased flight path, lands on the pad assigned by the merchant and picks up the package;<br />
9. Drone acquires a new path lease from the clearing house, as well as the time elements, and travels back to homebase pad;<br />
10. Drone lands on home pad with assigned package;<br />
11. :) Happy customer and no drone collusion;<br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-81248755779724860712013-12-01T12:25:00.000-08:002013-12-01T12:29:18.136-08:00A Few Thoughts on Romania's National Holiday (Dec 1)Today, on Dec 1, Romania celebrates 95 years since the grand reunification of 1918.<br />
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Romania was not a brand new country when its provinces unified under a single national state in 1918, but rather a few old and profoundly connected cultural and linguistic spaces. Finalizing the overlaying of geographical boundaries over historical values and connections is the classic definition of the Romanian nation.<br />
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(Unfortunately it is not something Romania could have accomplished on its own, but this is another topic.) <br />
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Romania, to its credit and in spite of extreme external pressure, has sustained these connections through extraordinarily difficult times, from Nazism to communism and from totalitarianism to democracy. Kudos to Romania for this accomplishment.<br />
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Romania needs to step up and show that it is a mature nation by providing opportunities to its citizens. It is unacceptable that young Romanians think that they can get more accomplished overseas than at home. The value of being a Romanian needs to be demonstrated in Romania and not in a foreign country, except in very few cases.<br />
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Certainly the +3 millions of Romanians who emigrated during the past 20 years would argue that they had no rational choice and there are no arguments to defeat the reality that Romania has never, in its history, exported so many of its citizens (in such a nonchalant fashion).<br />
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The Romanian government and politicians' performance needs to be measured against a set of metrics that include not only the unemployment rate, tax rates, and GDP growth but also the retention rate of Romanian citizens (professionals and young, mostly) in Romania.<br />
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How is it possible for a nation to continue to remain viable and grow organically when 20% of its citizens want to not live within its borders? It is even more troubling to think about that given the severe demographic constraints faced by Romania.<br />
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Make Romania a desirable country to Romanians and Romania will be prosperous. There cannot be a unified country with accelerating divisions between what its citizens want and what the government thinks that they want. If Romania succeeds at enabling Romanians to be successful at home then few Romanians will need to emigrate and Romania will become stronger than ever.<br />
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And, frankly, who does not want to see a strong Romania? La Multi Ani, Romania!<br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-22755389569782477862013-11-30T15:02:00.003-08:002013-11-30T15:02:30.121-08:00A Cheap Wine That Does Not Feel Cheap (Yellow Tail - Shiraz)If you do not feel like spending a chunk of change on an expensive wine I would recommend you drink the shiraz (syrah) from Yellow Tail. It is smooth, full of flavor, and clean when it hits the roof of your mouth.<br />
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It is a bit spicy and goes well with blue cheese, lamb, beef, and pasta with red sauces.<br />
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I just love it and if I did not know it was Yellow Tail I could not tell the difference between it and Rosemount shiraz (which costs at least twice as much as Yellow Tail).<br />
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Today I bought 6 bottles of Yellow Tail shiraz at a local grocery store near my house and I found out that I can get $12 back from the distributor, which is amazing, considering that I only paid $34.20 for the 6 pack. Hence my 6 bottles will cost me $22.20 which is less than $3.75/<u>bottle</u>. Absolutely amazing, considering that a <u>glass</u> of house red wine at a relatively cheap restaurant is at least $5.<br />
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I toast to Yellow Tail and savor the shiraz for its intense flavors. Cheers!Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-70487610117633072862013-11-30T11:40:00.000-08:002013-11-30T15:31:56.093-08:00On Thermocouples, Pilot Burners, and FireplacesOur gas fireplace would just not work.<br />
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The pilot light was not staying on -unless I was keeping the ignition knob depressed- no matter what I was doing. I cleaned the oxygen sensor and I repositioned the logs. I was so mystified that I even called a gas fireplace expert who told me that I needed a new thermocouple (which he would 'love to install for me'). <br />
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Well, I just did not believe the gas 'expert', even though I paid him $85 for 1 hour of his trials and tribulations.<br />
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Immediately after he left, I noticed that the pilot light was not touching the thermocouple shaft due to it being too low relative to where the pilot flame was hitting. It just occurred to me that the thermocouple could not engage the valve to keep the pilot on. (Without the pilot light on the fireplace cannot be lit, for safety.)<br />
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So, just as a last resort before buying a new thermocouple, I attached a flashlight to my head, took a Phillips screwdriver, stuck my head into the fireplace, and disconnected the small metal brace that keeps the thermocouple attached to the burner -it also keeps the piezo element close to the pilot gas tube- and repositioned the thermocouple so that its tip was about 1/2 inch above the pilot flame opening.<br />
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The interesting thing is that the thermocouple has a circular groove around the base that is supposed to indicate how is it to be 'seated' on the support and for some reason it slipped from its groove. (So I just repositioned the thermocouple on the proper groove.)<br />
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I reattached the plate -together with the piezo element next to the pilot burner- and, viola, the pilot flame stays on after just 6-8 seconds of keeping the ignition button depressed. It only took me a grand total of about 10 minutes of work -plus a few head bumps on the flue damper- and that includes the removal of the logs and their repositioning at the end.<br />
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When the pilot flame is on it hits the thermocouple at all times and now the fireplace works like a charm. I feel terribly sorry I did not spend the $85 I paid to the gas 'professional' on a few good bottles of Shiraz or Zinfandel.<br />
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Next time I will definitely do my homework before I call a pro...<br />
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As far as how much of the thermocouple should be in the pilot's flame path, have a look at the image to the left below. In my case, before I corrected the problem, the tip of the thermocouple was about 1/2 inch below the pilot burner flame axis. Go figure!<br />
<img class="irc_mut" height="250" id="irc_mi" src="http://0.tqn.com/d/homerepair/1/0/_/C/-/-/burner_assembly.jpg" style="margin-top: 186px;" width="400" /> <br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-73718118396673734332013-11-09T15:47:00.000-08:002013-11-09T15:47:30.832-08:00Mr. Obama is The Most Incompetent President I Have SeenMr. Obama, the president of the US, is the most incompetent president I have seen. Even Mr. Bush was better than Obama, and I never thought I would say this.<br />
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Without a doubt, his signature legislative success, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, has been so poorly executed that Mr. Obama administration's has come to be known as a 'loser'. We would have been way better off with a universal healthcare system than the current mess.<br />
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Our healthcare system has gotten more complex and expensive due to Obama, although the reform does have its merits. <br />
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<br />Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-72287598088848805132013-10-26T15:52:00.004-07:002013-12-09T16:29:22.211-08:00We are gradually becoming a true 100% police stateI am reading in bewilderment how the NSA spies indiscriminately and illegally <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/hundreds-march-washington-against-nsa-spying-205426813.html" target="_blank">not only on all of us</a> (as Americans) but <a href="http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/26/21176401-us-spied-on-german-leader-merkels-phone-since-2002-report?lite" target="_blank">also</a> on the <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/spying-between-friends-just-not-done-merkel-144704505.html" target="_blank">entire world</a>. It can do that since it is the hub of most -if not all- electronic communication on the planet. Servers, switches, hubs, gateways, databases, and all sorts of data communication equipment are or can be directly controlled by the US government since they are in the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/09/cell-phone-data-requests_n_4414059.html" target="_blank">hands of American corporations</a>.<br />
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We need to either stop using data communication networks or become truly rogue and flood the NSA monitoring networks with so much false positive messages that they will have to stop collecting the 'garbage'. I loathe the NSA, I really do.<br />
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Yesterday I read a story on how a California cop <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-probes-california-deputys-killing-boy-toy-gun-205719066.html" target="_blank">shot and killed</a> a 13 year old boy because he was carrying a toy gun and the cop thought it was real. Mind you, the shooting happened within 10 seconds of reporting the boy's sighting to the dispatcher, so they did not even bother to give a chance to the kid to show that he was innocent. They shot first, and killed the boy, and now they need to answer questions about this crime. They put 7 bullets into a totally defenseless kid.<br />
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Cops in our cities <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/09/justice/texas-campus-officer-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1" target="_blank">have become true thugs</a> and can -and do- get away with murder and extensive <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/police-turn-routine-traffic-stops-into-cavity-searches-201433510.html" target="_blank">abusive behaviors</a>. There must be hundreds of cases a year where cops have killed 'suspects' when alternative methods could have diffused the situations without any violence or abuse.<br />
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Today I am reading how plain clothed cops in New York are routinely <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/macys-joins-barneys-brewing-nyc-shop-frisk-scandal-174204622--finance.html" target="_blank">stopping</a> black shoppers who buy luxury items and detain them to inquire about the source of the funding and 'their ability to buy such luxury items'. Mind you, the cops stop shoppers after the shoppers have paid, left the store, and have started to walk away, outside of the stores. In some cases, black shoppers of luxury items were stopped blocks away from the location of the store they just visited. <br />
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If these examples are not outrageous I am not sure I know what outrageous is...Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307336483034034476.post-31342137250974527462013-09-08T09:56:00.000-07:002013-12-04T18:01:18.705-08:00No, no, no! An American war in Syria would be based on lies, lies, and more lies.Mr. Obama and his administration are beating the drums about the need for the US to defend Syrian population from chemical attacks launched -according to them- by the Syrian government.<br />
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US's military's intervention ins Syria would be erroneous and misguided. It would open up the doors for intervening in any country where civil war exists. It would create a precedent that would be difficult to not obey by.<br />
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In addition, we are being told that the 'intelligence' community knows with a 'high degree of precision' that the chemical attacks in August were 'directed' by the Assad's regime.<br />
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Can we trust the intelligence community anymore? Who can trust agencies that lie to our face and spy on us with impunity? Chat a Neuf Vieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04076589735231271603noreply@blogger.com0