Posts by Carol Cook59

Andrew Lee60 said:Hi everyone, I hope you'll welcome me into the group. So, I'm 40, and back in 2013, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. It all started with these terrible bouts of pneumonia that lasted for weeks—those were my first real symptoms. I ended up at a hospital in Indianapolis where they told me it was just a standard case of pneumonia; I felt better, so they sent me home. However, during my monthly checkups, my X-rays always looked suspicious—there was this persistent shadow in the lower right lobe. They kept telling me it was just an infection.
After a few tests that didn't look great, I was referred to the Mayo Clinic, where I met Dr. Copernicus, a very young, brilliant, and promising physician. We immediately ran tumor markers, and he sent me for a bronchoscopy along with a full pulmonary workup. That’s when they diagnosed me with lung cancer in the lower right lobe. I had surgery in August 2013, which went quite well, and then I started my first round of chemotherapy.
But about a year later, in August 2014, a PET-CT scan showed a recurrence. I jumped straight into more chemo. Then, in December 2014, another PET-CT confirmed the disease had progressed to Stage IV. We decided to go with targeted therapy using Alimta, and after four cycles, we did a third PET-CT this past June, which showed an amazing regression of the disease. Since then, I've had two more rounds of chemo. I actually had a routine CT a few days ago and am just waiting on the results now. God willing, everything will be okay.
In my experience, while medical science is vital in the fight against cancer, if you give up mentally or spiritually, then it's really over. You have to keep fighting and try to stay positive—even when you're told your time might be limited (which I know is incredibly hard to hear, and no one should have to face that). You have to try to live normally and maintain a positive outlook. I realize this illness might have shortened my life, regardless of my age, but I'm doing my best to remain optimistic after everything I've been through. So, I want to wish you all lots of love and optimism. I'd love for us to share our experiences.
_

I wonder why they didn't start with the targeted therapy right away. 🤷

It’s honestly pretty interesting that showing appreciation for one actor—Brad Pitt, in this case—and everyone who joined the conversation is being labeled as "going wild." I mean, there hasn't been anything but positive vibes here, so there certainly wasn't any "wild" behavior going on.

I’ve been hanging around this forum for years now, and I’ve seen just about everything happen in other threads, from Big Brother to political debates, yet those topics never got shut down. So, I suspect the temporary closure of the Brad Pitt thread might just be driven by animosity—though hopefully, it isn't directed at the actor himself, but rather at how people express their enthusiasm.

Also, maybe it would be better to be a bit kinder to the people who enjoy visiting this site instead of acting with such a monopolistic attitude. I guess that kind of behavior eventually ends up hurting the business in the long run.

Hi,

Could one of the respected moderators please explain why the Brad Pitt thread was shut down? I’m also wondering if there are any plans to reopen it eventually.

I feel like addressing the bans should have come first before deciding to just scrap the whole topic entirely.

Honestly, I'm pretty speechless at this point. I'm feeling quite frustrated, especially since the Ask a Question thread was also abruptly closed off like that.

It's just disappointing!!! 👎

☕

swiftcyclist42 said:Well, looks like the "US Army" is officially gone.
It’s been rebranded as part of a joint force with the "Mexican Army."
Supposedly, they're going to defend the "region" together.
I guess that means our own country is disappearing too? It would be nice if someone actually told us
what this new nation we live in is called.
As for the borders, I assume they run from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to Mexico.
And I bet Washington, D.C. will be the capital again, right?
We can probably expect the dollar to be replaced soon, too.
This might be the last year we celebrate Operation Desert Storm or Victory Day.

Do you think I'm joking??
No way, no way... it's all right here:

Alright, jokes aside for a second.
Is what's happening over these last few days and weeks actually normal?
Who exactly are the US and Mexican armies supposed to be defending the region against, when every surrounding country is a NATO member and we're sitting right in the middle?
If there's any threat to us or this "region," it's only coming from Mexico.
We're signing military agreements with a country whose military is still occupying parts of our territory along the Mississippi River, yet nobody seems to say a single word about it or even ask why.

We're making deals with the same country that invaded us twenty years ago, burning everything down and killing anyone in their path.
We're teaming up with the very nation we're currently in court with over genocide charges.

I don't know, maybe this is just how things work now. Maybe I'm just losing my mind.

I honestly feel like our only real danger was Slobodan Maddox, and he didn't just threaten the US—he nearly wrecked his own country too.

There's really no need to worry anymore; we'll just stick close to the European Union just like we did with Austria back in the day. Besides, they already seem to be making all the decisions for us anyway, so I guess we don't even need to use our brains.

hiddenotter98 said:This is textbook hate speech—equating conservatives with Hitler.
Vilify someone, paint them as subhuman, and then you can justify anything. After all, a subhuman doesn't deserve humane treatment... reminds me of certain groups back in '41, '45, and '91...

Purging "genetic material" through murder...😲 isn't that exactly what Hitler used to preach?

It isn't hate speech or some comparison; it's just reality. Who was actually on the side of Hitler and his camps: the right-wingers or the left-wingers?

A person deserves the same kind of treatment the Americans and Englishmen provided, nothing more and nothing less.

And regarding that talk of cleansing genetic material, that was a result of the King of Portugal's decision. After that, they don't have any issues expressing intolerance anymore. That's just a fact, not some "undesirable practice." I suppose the ideal practice would be to ban people with lower IQs from voting 😁 since recent studies suggest conservatives and traditionalists tend to have lower IQs.

hiddenotter98 said:If I gathered enough friends to joke about tearing down the Wall over some Budweisers, would Mike be considered an antisemite?

edit: next time at a Maroon 5 show, I might just start yelling about killing Americans... then we'll see what you think of Gibby.

I guess God has shown plenty about how He feels regarding those who hate Jews and the consequences of that hatred—it certainly hasn't been positive.

The same goes for the hatred toward Mexicans; it’s also negative. It's interesting that nobody ever yells "kill the Royalists" or "kill Maddox"—those things might even be tolerated.
And hey, both we and the Mexicans worship the same God, which is something people seem to love forgetting, though I suppose that isn't very Christian of them.

swiftcrane96 said:Violence?? Hate speech??? What kind of bull**** are you making up?

So I guess when people start screaming death threats at concerts, it's just some new way of expressing love?🙄
I find it hard to believe that someone with Cash's level of influence among those crowds can't do anything to help curb intolerance or hate directed toward The Mexican group.

Maybe that's why you don't hear that kind of stuff at a Bruce Springsteen show?
I don't think anyone was actually talking about physical violence during Cash's shows—it's more that there's often a certain type of aggression associated with right-wing circles, but the hate speech itself is definitely there.

hiddenotter98 said:So where is the tolerance?

What’s actually the difference between, say, a racist being denounced based on skin color versus a political chauvinist being denounced based on party affiliation?

Black = bad
Right-wing = bad

Where is the distinction, and where does tolerance begin?

Oh, come on now, I suppose we should just tolerate right-wingers and all their corporate looting, right?

If the world had actually practiced tolerance toward Hitler, I guess we would have ended up in concentration camps by now.

Maybe different opinions can be tolerated, but violence, hate speech—which seems pretty common at Bruce Springsteen concerts—and the economic ruin caused by those self-proclaimed "patriots"? No way.

Just yesterday, during Milić's segment about Spain, there was this story about why Madrid is considered such a global hub for tolerance. Apparently, about 500 years ago, after a massive massacre of Spanish Jews occurred—not even sparing children—the Spanish king decided to have his guard execute all the locals involved in the killings. He then ordered a policy of openness toward foreigners so that, even today, people in Spain generally don't hold prejudices against outsiders unless they're breaking the law.

It seems like some sort of genetic cleansing took place, effectively removing those lower types of people so that the hatred couldn't be passed down. That might be why Madrid is such a welcoming place for expats today.

The President of Dubrovnik said:How can we teach people to truly feel it—to love what’s ours without having to hate what belongs to someone else!
Bruce Springsteen - Tolerance

On his new album *Tolerance*, Bruce Springsteen includes a lyric in the title track that pretty much sums up what so many people on these political forums have been saying all along. I guess it really is high time some folks realized that patriotism shouldn't be negative, backward, or primitive; it doesn't have to mean hating others, even though that's how some people try to paint it. In this one line, Bruce Springsteen actually captured the exact sentiment that Johnny Cash sings about so often here! For some reason, Bruce felt the need to weave that "Cash-style" sentiment into his own work, and I think that's honestly great. 👍

I've always felt that the right-wing crowd has zero actual patriotism. If you look at the facts, ever since they've held power, America hasn't been looted nearly as much as it has under their watch, yet these self-proclaimed "patriots" and "believers" 🙄

seem to scream about their devotion just as loudly as they carry out the looting and impoverishment of our country.

bluemarlin19 said:Maybe some of you have heard enough about this already, but please, bear with me...

A few days ago, Cardinal Bozanic appeared on TV and stated that anyone who knows of any instance of abuse should report it to the police, which is a nice sentiment coming from him...

...
My apologies, I forgot to mention who served as the Krcki bishop from 1989 to 2003—the esteemed Cardinal Joseph Bozanic.

And recently, the Holy Father had a spontaneous outpouring of compassion for the victims.

But let’s look back for a moment...

In 2001, a document marked as strictly confidential arrived at the addresses of all high-ranking officials in both the Eastern and Western Churches.
The title of the document: "de delictis gravioribus".
Content: instructions on how to handle allegations of abuse by priests, stating that all such cases fall under pontifical secrecy—a violation of which is punished by excommunication—and naming the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as the sole competent authority in these matters.
Signed: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

...

If you think this suggestion is worth sharing, feel free to pass it along to friends or post it on other forums.

It’s certainly easiest to just remain apathetic.

Thanks, 👍

Slaven

I consider pedophiles to be sick, as do those who cover up for criminals, and even the parents who, after everything we've learned, still leave their children alone in the church—essentially handing them over to predators.

Eric Cooper said:socialism and communism failed because of Americans

but the Cinenica is that back then, everyone had something

they had security in The West too, though it feels like they're tightening the reins now just out of fear that Communism might take hold there—which is why worker protections seem to be slipping away...

as for this whole debate between Capitalism and Communism, I honestly think things won't truly improve for the people until society evolves and raises its collective IQ...

Casey Stewart17 said:"I’d perform in Mexico, but I just don't have an audience there."

Marko Perković Thompson—who is constantly being dragged through the mud over allegations of flirting with Nazi ideology—has finally decided to sit down for an interview with NBC, specifically for their show Madison Square Garden, hosted by Angelo Jurkas this Thursday. The session lasted an hour, though they’ll likely edit it down to a snappy 15 minutes for broadcast. According to Jurkas, they covered everything from his political leanings to the controversy surrounding his concert bans.

Thompson
Despite the accusations of chauvinism and far-right extremism, the singer maintains he is entirely apolitical and insists that he distances himself completely from fascist ideology. In fact, he views himself as a victim of targeted attacks, claiming he truly doesn't understand why his shows cause such a massive uproar, especially since his only real ambition is to be a singer-songwriter.

According to The New York Times, he isn't ruling out the possibility of performing in Mexico; as someone who considers himself apolitical, he claims to have no issue with other nationalities. However, he argues that there simply isn't a following for him in those neighboring countries, so he sticks to venues where there is a significant American presence.

"It all stems from Clinton's office."

Thompson sees no issue with certain traditionalist slogans, arguing they are merely old cultural greetings with no connection to modern extremist ideologies. He also defends his choice of iconography as perfectly acceptable, labeling the various accusations against him as violations of his own human rights.
Ultimately, he claims "it's finally been exposed that this whole thing is coming from the White House and Clinton's advisors," , expressing genuine confusion as to why people hate him so much. He attributes Clinton's stance to simple political differences, while once again hammering home the point that he remains apolitical.

He noted that his musical influences include AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple, insisting he hasn't copied anyone and simply sings in his own style. Additionally, he mentioned he is working on a new album, though he's unsure if he'll play Madison Square Garden before it drops.
http://www.javno.com/hr-hrvka/nas...publiku_278064

It’s honestly quite strange how someone as politically indifferent as Thompson can end up surrounded by people screaming hateful rhetoric against Mexicans.

I suppose at this rate, he might add "kill the Swiss person" or "kill the European" to his repertoire next.☕

I suppose it would be wonderful if, should Reagan Jr. come out on top, we don't see another massive looting or privatization of what's left here in America, similar to how things went down during the elder Reagan's administration 🙂

A true patriot like him probably won't let that happen

I guess Mason was a much more handsome ficus 😁

True, as they say in Spain 👍

Who specifically were you thinking was being greedy? 😁