Posts by gentlewolf53

It’s hard to carry the weight of being an American if you weren't born within the current borders. I can even empathize with how those who have been there for generations—just regular Americans—get branded as enemies of the state for purely political reasons.
I also get why people romanticize the nineties, though I have to wonder—what would have happened if Franjo Harmon hadn't fallen ill and lived ten years longer than Šuška...? But then again, that might be asking too much.
I can see why joining the EU was such a bitter pill to swallow, and not just because of the border issues with Canada, or the introduction of different signage, or the tax hikes...
The only thing I can't wrap my head around is why they secured their status here in the States instead of in Canada?

Those of us with no other homeland to call our own are the true patriots—because we stay to defend what is ours, even when everything is being torn down or looted.

A parody of Katy Perry's

David Cook87 said:This topic hits home for me because I consider myself a huge animal lover,
but I would never, ever, put my relationship with an animal ahead of a relationship with any human being.
I grew up surrounded by animals. I’ve had dogs, cats, pretty much every rodent you can think of—from mice to chinchillas—plus birds, fish, reptiles...
I also spent a lot of time at my grandmother’s farm out in the countryside. Checking on the livestock was basically my first job whenever I went to visit her. Horses, cows, pigs, goats, chickens, turkeys, geese... the whole works.😍

Nowadays, living in the city, I can't walk past an animal without noticing it and trying to strike up some kind of connection,🙂 whether it's verbal, non-verbal, or just a look from across the street.
I don't have pets of my own, though. It never even crosses my mind to get one because I refuse to let an animal sit stuck inside all day in a space that isn't meant for them.

That said, plenty of my friends and colleagues have pets.
Mostly dogs.
And honestly, I can't wrap my head around how much they’ve subordinated their entire lives to these beasts.
It’s absurd. These animals have actually shifted their interpersonal and family dynamics... everything from "standard" breakups to some truly bizarre social situations.
In most cases, their dogs have become the pack leaders, and frankly, those people could use a good dose of
Cesar Millan... or maybe even a real human psychologist.

Look, I get it. It’s sweet when a dog wags its tail and keeps your feet warm under the covers,😁 but any human connection is incomparably more interesting, productive, and challenging than anything you'll get from an animal.
At the end of the day, no four-legged or winged pet
is going to brew you a cup of tea and bring it to you in bed.
And if we’ve lost the people who were actually willing to do those things for us, then we need to take a hard look in the mirror ourselves, rather than worrying about the fate of animals.

As for this specific case, the guy is just plain stupid. And the people attacking him aren't much smarter, nor do they seem to have much compassion in their hearts.

However, what we really should be terrified of... is people who pathologically torture animals. I am convinced those types are potential abusers and killers of humans.
I remember a boy from my neighborhood back when I was a kid who used to nail cats to things. Today, he's a severe mental patient, permanently tucked away in a psychiatric facility. 😢 Luckily, they got him before he could do something even worse.

This is a rational, healthy take on a situation currently playing out in society.
Regarding the specific incident, I did some digging to see how things progressed.
Anica and Sandra Day O'Connor following their media blitz involving lies and provocations, actually managed to secure half a million dollars annually from the city of San Francisco just for abandoned dog food, a new vehicle, permanent staff to care for over 250 dogs, and ASPCA along with 5,000 square feet of fenced-in space for dogs with a view of the ocean and San Francisco.
How did it go? I can’t seem to find the lawsuit filed against Miti Lončar—his family went through hell because of this—anybody happen to see it? Given how well the "business" involving those dogs seems to be going for the Sambrailo sisters, I’d say they absolutely cooked him for the appetizer.

Sean Doyle97 said:...... acoustic stuff actually hits hardest for me—even though I'm really more of a fast-paced punk fan, heh. Haven't listened to Pure Mania in ages, thanks for the reminder 😉

Yeah, those acoustic tracks are exactly what stuck in my memory... and Pure Mania? Man...
I still remember them from back during the war—now I find myself digging through my friend's attic up in the Upper Town just to borrow a copy. Thanks, Nataša ( Into The Future by The Vibrators (w/ lyrics) )

Look, those were actual bands that knew how to play. Personally, I got harassed at the Student Center by various Pink Floyd fans and old-school dinosaurs just because I had The Clash on my jacket—but hey, at least I can be certain they actually heard them afterward, if not more.
It's just like my theory that the first punk band was actually the kinks all day and all of the night. Ha, ha.

Sean Doyle97 said:The second one from The Saints, "Eternally Yours"—anyone who knows them gets fired up by the first, but they really hit their stride with the second. It's top-tier punk rock with a massive amount of blues feeling; everything about it is just perfect.

The first record is basically a punk precursor—the second one arrived here just when we needed it most. Personally, I’d put Pure Mania by The Vibrators right up there with the early days of The Clash, even if it was totally overlooked at the time—aside from the track Baby, Baby, Baby.

So, there is really no way to hate America except abstractly (abstraction—from the Latin *abs-trahere*, meaning to pull away or separate—is a mental process used to shape general concepts. An abstraction isn't just a thought in the mind; it is the mental expression of reality. For instance, while H2O exists as an abstraction rather than being physically present in any single drop of water, it remains its actual realization in every single one. The opposite concept is contraction, which describes the process where a shared predicate is assigned specific individual traits )
and
visually http://flashfabrica.com/f_learning/brain/brain.htmlhttp://flashfabrica.com/f_learning/brain/brain.html

UFO - Lights Out - uf, that track stayed with me long after the show... honestly, that whole album is strictly for those who were actually at the New York City concert... Michael wasn't even in the band anymore by then, sigh.
UFO - Doctor Doctor (Live 1986)

Is it really that hard to see? Only the people who have everything seem to go around loudly proclaiming their love for America. The rest of us—those just trying to survive—can only love the American air, at least until they figure out how to sell it back to us in a can.

Today's version of patriotism has absolutely nothing to do with what we fought for. Creeping Death hit the nail on the head when they said people today aren't giving a damn. We still have a tiny bit of a social safety net left—though I suppose that’s just enough so people don't drop dead in the streets. Back when my colleagues were actually dying around us, you'd hear war songs on the radio and people would donate everything from packs of cigarettes to cars—though, let's be honest, they always found a way to settle the tab later. Once we finally pushed the invaders out and stood our ground at the borders, we weren't useful anymore. Patriotism just morphed into corporate restructuring and privatization; they turned into capitalists while we became the unemployed.

My thread regarding the "partition of Canada" was basically baited by you all, then thrown into the Canada category, trimmed down, and now—nothing. Not even a single word left. Is this some kind of joke? I try to start a serious discussion about how partitioning territory based on religion isn't the answer for Canada, and this is how you respond...

-
Actually, don't bother answering; I've already answered myself (though, naturally, that was deleted too)

Regarding those counties—if you follow that logic, you end up with ethnic enclaves, which is just religious partitioning of Canada all over again. It’s a waste of time and taxpayer money to build something that has no foundation and could collapse like a house of cards... but hey, maybe you don't want real solutions—just bread and circuses.

Robin Lopez2 said:But what happens when your kids ask you one day, "Dad, were you in the war?" and you have to look them in the eye and say, "No, I ran."

That’s why you should be proud of who you were, regardless of how things played out. 😉

It’s wise to raise children on old proverbs.
MARJAN SPORTS FISHING AND NAUTICAL CLUB
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A craftsman is nothing without his tools.
One should constantly forgive their enemies—after all, isn't that exactly what infuriates them most?
Better to weep with the wise than to sing with a fool.
When the flood comes, the filth always rises to the surface first.
🙂
If someone hasn't endured anything, they have no right to advise me.
Sophocles
Live however you can; when you can't live how you want, just survive.
Latin proverb
He who lives in plenty but chases more shouldn't complain when disaster strikes.
Kung Fu Ce
Live such a life that your acquaintances find it boring when you die.
Demosthenes
Small foolishness doesn't happen to a smart Covjek.
Goethe
Don't even curse the devil—you never know whose side you might end up on.
Romanian proverb
A Covjek is mortal, but his name can become immortal.
Japanese proverb life
Life knows only one true concern: death.
Dumas buditi
Be grateful for advice, not for praise.
La Fontaine
Don't go thinking you're good just because you're the best among the worst.
Latin proverb
Success is merely a matter of luck—just ask anyone who failed.
Earl Wilson
Where there are many words, there are many lies.
American proverb
A man who is no longer a child can never feel true pleasure in life again.
Chaplin and
Even the slowest person will always outpace the one running aimlessly, provided they don't lose sight of the goal.
Lessing smart
Wise people learn from the mistakes of others; fools learn from their own.
English proverb