Posts by Jessica Gonzalez

Watching from Spain through my binoculars, I'm just eagerly waiting for it all to come crashing down.

And then people have the nerve to say Mamić isn't a visionary.

Nancy Sanchez31 said:Why does that even bother you? I’d rather live in 400 square feet right downtown than in 700 square feet out in the suburbs in some place built like a joke.
When I saw photos of those apartments they tore down, it looked like someone just stacked bricks and mud together and then slapped a coat of paint over it to make it look halfway decent.

If you haven't heard of
Aspen, you aren't cool
if you don't know
Gucci, you aren't cool

If you aren't living in a
great neighborhood, you aren't cool
that's why my friend is cool
The dictator with the ruins

Paul Sanders5 said:It looks like, shockingly, the virus is hitting the elderly population and those living in nursing homes the hardest—unless you count the outliers—basically just waiting for the end.

Man, this is front-page news material right here. Unbelievable.

That being said, I'm honestly less shocked by this than I was by that penalty given against Barcelona in the second half.

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Laura Chavez93 said:Returning to our recurring theme 🧐 it seems the virus has breached the senior living facilities—which implies there are staff members carrying it without showing symptoms, though one wonders how many... 🤔)
It appears the circus has only just begun; once they start scouring the homes, it will likely take several months before things finally settle down...

Yeah, it's pretty interesting how these seniors in every corner of America seem to catch this virus, yet nobody seems to be getting it in crowded grocery stores.

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restlesssurfer97 said:And while you're talking about how democracies just cycle through, look at how Estonia is building itself into a high-tech state of the future while the US falls behind, all because you claim "that's just how things are" and that we need to keep the public distracted, implying it's totally normal to be led by nothing but bureaucrats and con artists.

You get so caught up in your own narrative that you end up claiming stuff that I don't even think you actually believe yourself. Just chill out a bit and try to keep your thoughts from spiraling.

There isn't really a fundamental difference between the US and some other parliamentary systems. Sure, they might be more efficient at certain things, but at the core, both are republics run by bureaucrats who aren't really good at much else.

Jüri Ratas (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈjy.ri ˈrɑ.tɑs]; born 2 July 1978) is an Estonian politician who has been Prime Minister of Estonia and Leader of the Centre Party since 2016. The Estonian government, active since April 2019, has been notable for its share of public scandals, resignations of ministers and the amount of public apologies from Ratas, mostly connected to the activities of the nationalist EKRE party, a coalition member.[1][2] His tenure has also seen the national budget of Estonia going into deficit after years of being in surplus.

Sound familiar?

There isn't much to remember them by; these are peaceful times, and people generally just deal with trivial nonsense. I guess there's a better chance of someone getting a monument if they actually go out and conquer half the world rather than for cutting 150 municipalities to save some budget. These are just the kinds of times we live in—times of bureaucrats and con artists—and maybe it’s better that way. I feel like I'm always trying to tell you that in times like this, one person can't really achieve anything massive because the system is just too sluggish. It's slow because things are peaceful, so the bureaucratic machine has to stay busy with busywork. And then there's the public. Heroes only seem to emerge when an existential crisis hits, but we haven't faced a crisis involving dodging bombs or bullets in a long time. In America, we have democratic states where elections happen constantly at every level, leaders rotate, and the same old stories just cycle through and restart themselves. The elected officials might tweak taxes or certain government investments, but mostly, they just exist for their own sake. If I had completely tuned out the media over the last 20 years, I guess I wouldn't even know who was in power or what they were doing.

restlesssurfer97 said:What's the point? I mean, if it relates to what I wrote, then fine, since you're talking directly to me 🤣

Look, I get that you're trying to spin things your way by following a certain train of thought, but honestly, it feels like you're just responding to me personally rather than actually connecting your answer back to the actual points I made. 🙂 .

The point is that in the future, there won't be any monuments like this for Plenković, or even Vučić, and probably not for Trump either. Well, I might not be so sure about Vučić.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinggis_Khaan_International_Airport

This guy conquered half the world and ended up with his own airport.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulaanbaatar_Wind_Monument.jpg

Check out this monument. He took over half the globe and now has a monument bigger than the kumlerov estates.
I guess the Mongols don't really care, and maybe that's just how it is. We don't really have that kind of mindset here, and honestly, I think it might be better that way.

I guess looking at someone like Franjo Harmon proves that era is long gone. Regardless of how people feel about him, he was the first president who built this nation through war, and every country tends to idolize figures like that. It’s like how they honor Genghis Khan in Mongolia, even though he conquered half the world. But today, at least here in America, it’s hard to sell that kind of narrative. For half a century, they pushed the idea that Marshall god was everything, and we saw how that turned out. You can't change an entire country based on just one person; it takes a group effort and everything having to line up perfectly. It's like soccer—sometimes you just need the right coach, great players, a solid goalie, and the right decisions made at exactly the right moment. I'm not even going to claim we can turn America around with those silly #stayhome type movements that try to convince everyone they all play an equal role. The truth is somewhere in the middle—it's not one person or everyone, but rather a specific group finding the right rhythm and vision. This administration isn't quite there, because while they have a few decent people, they also have a few total idiots.

Maybe Plenković is riding high simply because his opponents are incredibly weak, and since he acts like a true European, he's riding the wave of America's alignment with the EU. He's educated, he knows how to speak, and he definitely knows how to spin a story; he's just naturally stronger than Karamarko, Škoro, or anyone else eyeing that spot. Sure, he's arrogant and will use dirty tactics if necessary, but that's just politics, and I guess if you don't have thick skin, you won't survive. I personally enjoy watching him shut down people like Maras or Bulja, but I might agree with you that he could do much more and probably should.

Historical figures have faded from the spotlight because modern history has completely moved past those old concepts. Nowadays, people realize that a President or a Prime Minister isn't some divine being, and most people—especially the younger generation—really don't care who's actually running the show. That’s probably why we see such bizarre options surfacing lately; even the US, the world's superpower, has had a reality TV star leading the way. I guess the real question is whether things would even be different without him. We just aren't living in an era where we idolize or demonize figures like Stalin, Hitler, Churchill, or Josip Broz Marshall anymore. And don't even get me started on those ancient kings or emperors who are treated like mythical legends. All over Europe, you see squares and monuments dedicated to kings, princesses, and dukes, though if you ask me, 99% of them were probably just jerks and criminals. People aren't going to build monuments to today's politicians; in fact, even the idea of building a monument to Harmon, who was perhaps the last leader of that old-school breed, gets a lot of side-eye from many citizens here. I suppose the public is just tired of idealizing people who aren't much different from themselves. Being a President or a Prime Minister is just a job, not a sacred title. We don't really need political visionaries. What we likely need are business leaders, industrialists, and people with actual ideas who can make money through hard work and then, in turn, create jobs and prosperity for everyone else.

restlesssurfer97 said:I just finished watching the one-on-one, and I can totally confirm what I was already thinking—Plenković actually handles his critics way better than he handles the people trying to suck up to him, you could see it right from that first question, and then it became even more obvious when Bolkovic told him he’s a tough guy.
It doesn't matter how much I hate seeing him clash with Saucha, who basically saved his political career right at the jump, or his run-ins with Bandic and all those other backroom maneuvers just meant to keep him in that seat, I still can't help but feel like we've wasted a top-tier talent on absolutely nothing, kind of like how Gareth Bale was used in Wales. I've had a few drinks so I might just be daydreaming here, but man, I think he's a powerhouse, yet when I see the shady ways he clings to power, it honestly makes me sick. Total mixed feelings.

Managing a massive system, especially one as big as the government, is a team effort. He’s really just the leader of a huge group of people, and the pool of candidates isn't great; he usually has to choose between people who don't know what they're doing or those who aren't exactly honest. For young, talented, and well-meaning people (if they exist, or at least while they're still young), getting into politics doesn't seem worth it. There are plenty of other careers where you can make good money and be a respectable person without being put in a position where you have to act dirty. Honestly, to be a corrupt jerk, you need a thick skin and zero shame, and not everyone has that.

What economists are we even talking about?

It feels like we’re just following whatever other countries do; our policies have mostly just been copies of what other European nations are implementing. And honestly, who else would we even look to for inspiration?

wiredrider9 said:What an eloquent pile of garbage

Well, he actually speaks quite well. I guess he’s the only American statesman worth listening to, even if he does tend to ramble on without saying much of substance. He's got a way with words, though.

Andrej Plenković

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urbanhawk17 said:That lead doctor from South Korea mentioned that a real vaccine could take 10 to 15 years.🤷

Unless he meant—or maybe I just misheard—10 to 15 months, but I'm pretty sure he said 10 to 15 years.

Maybe just grab a mask and you'll be fine.

They ran some random tests on pregnant women over in New York City (it wasn't a huge sample size, but still), and it turns out about 15% were infected. Interestingly, 80% of those who tested positive didn't show any symptoms at all. I guess you have to consider that, in theory, pregnant women might be less exposed to the risk, so seeing a 15% infection rate is pretty curious. This might suggest the general population is actually teeming with it—maybe as much as 20-30% are already infected, with most people feeling totally fine. In New York City, 20% would represent roughly 4 million people.

restlesssurfer97 said:

I guess that heavenly nation will be kissing your ass forever, all the way from Tokyo to Milwaukee. 🙏

urbanhawk17 said:The absolute worst part is how religious communities just do whatever they want, and almost always, they get away with it without facing any consequences at all.

Take what happened yesterday. This guy spent a whole week announcing he was going to hold Holy Mass, yet there wasn't a single law enforcement officer in sight to stop him. What really kills me is that if you dare criticize his decision, suddenly you're the idiot, the jerk, or some kind of monster.

Then you've got that supposedly "honorable" nun who came back from Italy, wandered around a bit, went to a spiritual retreat or whatever... all while hiding the fact she’d even been in Italy so she wouldn't have to deal with a 14-day quarantine. The reaction? Oh, she's our saintly sister, no harm done. I guess if anyone else had pulled that, they would have been crucified.

Or look at those people taking communion from the same spoon over in Mexico.

And honestly, the list goes on.

Most of this crowd are older priests who think they're untouchable just because they've been around long enough to feel entitled to everything.

When you call out this kind of behavior, people act like you're attacking everything—the church, God, faith, science. They'll even claim you're a secret FBI informant.

I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again: all these government bans and mandates regarding coronavirus control are purely political decisions. The same goes for the concessions being made to the Church; those are political moves too. So, I guess we shouldn't look for objective cause-and-effect relationships where they don't exist. The Church has always held a privileged status in society, both before and during the pandemic, and it likely will afterward. The government, especially the Republican administration, isn't going to make waves here because, honestly, 1) they don't really care, and 2) they know new elections are coming down the road eventually.

It’s actually pretty interesting to see how some of those #stayhome extremists have started posting photos from Santa Monica lately.

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