Big Blue Huddle

Lenn, thanks for the history lesson. No one would argue with what you posted about the Jews being  persecuted. I agree with everything you said but that doesn't make what's happening to the Palestinians acceptable. It's wrong ( 2 wrongs don't make a...) and no history lesson is going to make it right in my mind.
In regards to your question, "what have Muslims given to this world?"
What is only now becoming clear (to many in the west) is that during the dark ages of medieval Europe, incredible scientific advances were made in the Muslim world. Geniuses in Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus and Cordoba took on the scholarly works of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece, India and China, developing what we would call "modern" science. New disciplines emerged

Quote from: bldevil on May 18, 2021, 04:34:38 PM
If you ever fall into the black hole of trying to unwind a play-by-play analysis of "who started it" when it comes to a conflict involving Israel, you will find yourself on a journey in time going past the crusades and into pre-Roman history.  Unless you plan to get a Ph.D. in history, there's no way to comprehend all the back-and-forth violence on this issue that's been pretty much non-stop for a century.

Nothing can be done to solve a problem that has gone on for centuries, don't even try to figure it out as the Palestinians are slowly wiped off the face of the earth.
This type of behavior is not something new. Thousands of Jewish refugees fleeing the holocaust were turned away from many countries because it was politically unpopular and a line on admitting refugees had to be drawn somewhere. Both reasonable arguments to a very complex problem back then but it didn't help those who had to return to Nazi Germany to be murdered.

I worked in Egypt for 5 years and in Morocco for 4. I always enjoyed the call to prayer and never found it intrusive.
It was kind of like hearing the church bells ringing in my hometown. They would ring every hour and were loud but I enjoyed those as well.

Lenn, I have a few questions based on your last post and I admit I've not watched this closely in the news.
I wasn't aware of civilian shields with this latest flare up. Can you share a link to that news article?
I don't recall other Middle East countries commenting recently about wiping Israel off the face of the earth in regards to the recent events. Please share that link as well.
Hamas is a terrorist group but not all Palestinians are members of Hamas. Are you aware of the many Palestinian Christians living in Palestine?
What is your feeling on Jewish settlements in Palestine? Have those settlements expanded in recent years?

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on April 03, 2021, 08:07:29 AM
I'm not dictating anything. And where the hell did I say it was "up to me"? Please don't put words in my mouth. All I did was express an opinion on the fact that sports have gotten significantly more political in recent years. Last I checked you're allowed to have an opinion.

Agreed, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Sad we can't express ours on this board without having to move the thread. I also respect MLB and their opinion on the matter.

End of year death toll estimated at 300,000 in USA by the end of the year? Anyone else see that? I say we not report any future deaths so we can keep the death numbers down

Quote from: MightyGiants on July 30, 2020, 12:50:04 PM
This is so upsetting.  This is exactly what I and everyone else in public health have been fighting so hard to prevent.   It's our job to save lives and everyone that dies of this virus is another loss in our war.   

Just heard about Cain's passing. Does anyone know how he got Covid? Was it at the rally where he is pictured here?

Quote from: Bob In PA on July 23, 2020, 09:53:04 AM
umass: .... and he didn't last long in the top job either, retiring shortly thereafter. 

I thought he should avoid the "headaches" of that job, but like a mountain-climber close to the summit, he wanted to go the extra few steps to touch the flag at the top.

And he did his entire career while carrying around a chest full of schrapnel from WWII (the fragments were too small to remove all of them).  He was a good man.

Bob

Wow! He sounds like quite the guy. My dad has passed as well, a US Marine and Korean war veteran. He was not an educator, worked an office job in NYC. He gave me my love for our New York Giants and thank God he lived long enough to watch the 86 super bowl win!

Quote from: Bob In PA on July 22, 2020, 10:09:54 PM
umass:  Aha! You're a teacher.  My dad was also (then he became principle, then superintendent).  My sister still is, and guess what she teaches.... she teaches English to children in China (via Internet).  Bob

Very cool, Bob! My utmost respect to the teachers in your family. One of those things you have to do to really appreciate it. Parents are finding that out now:)
Double thumbs up to your dad for making it to the top of the profession. Those admin jobs are not easy.

interesting, please share some links as this is not coming up in my news feed.

For T200- living overseas: I loved every moment of being a foreigner but I never brought the American "greatest country in the world" attitude with me. I embraced the local culture and the locals embraced me and my family. I vacationed in Morocco as the guests of a Muslim family as they wanted to repay us for hosting their children at our home for Christmas. My children received daycare from a Berber women while in Morocco, a lovely Filippino while in Taipei, and the sweetest Chinese national while in Shanghai. None of them could speak English but they loved our children dearly. The most amazing Taiwanese family were there for the birth of our second child while in Taipei. No one in the hospital could speak English and as I was leaving the hospital to settle the bill the Taiwanese mother looked at me and said everything was all set and I should just go home to be with our baby girl. After 9/11 while our church mourned a group of local Domincans entered our church and surrounded the pews and sang Amazing Grace with us to show their support for us and our country. I will never forget that moment and so much more. I have many more stories of the love me and my family received while living overseas. It's for these reasons I'm bothered by Muslim bans, xxxx hole country comments and the building of walls to keep people out.

Quote from: T200 on July 22, 2020, 05:34:47 PM
I've had the fortune and blessing to live in both Asia and Europe for a number of years. We don't fully realize how the world sees us until we are on the outside looking in.

https://www.today.com/money/niagara-falls-boats-show-stark-difference-between-social-distancing-us-t187466

T200- me as well, I spent 25 years teaching internationally with stops in Shanghai, Cairo, Delhi, Taipei and Casablanca. I just moved back to the US last year.

Quote from: Bob In PA on July 20, 2020, 10:09:59 AM
umass: I did not see the Wallace interview.  Generally, I don't watch FOX News except to skim through DVR's of Carlson, Hannity and Ingraham to see which topics are discussed.  If I see someone I know appearing as a guest, I might stop and listen.  I follow the same procedure for the 8PM to 11PM time slots on CNN and MSNBC.  All of those shows are mostly commercials combined with sheer repetition of each other and of the stuff they said on the previous night.  It's like coming to this site and reading the posts of some people (specifically not including you, uconn, T200 and Ron, all of whom make your points, respond to inquiries without seeking to change the subject, and do so with a minimum of needless repetition, and which I greatly appreciate).

As for reporting of covid stats, yes, the number of deaths is high.....but the death rate is not.  We have a huge population and conduct a large number of tests.  This is a pandemic.  That means it's everywhere.  People are going to get sick and some are going to die.  But the breathless media reporting of deaths without explaining the correct context is designed to create and maintain a state of undue panic (to boost their ratings).  Stoking fear is reprehensible (and from some of the posts on this site, I see it's working). 
The God's honest truth is ..... we will all get the virus at least once UNLESS a 100 percent effective "true" vaccine (like the polio vaccine) is found.  The chances of finding a true vaccine are slim, but not yet ruled out. The measures already taken by Federal, state and local governments (to first shut down, then get hospitals, doctors and equipment organized, then open up slowly while re-closing down hot spots if necessary) is a logical and appropriate response.  That's all we can do.  Hiding in our houses for several years is just not an option.

Bob

Fair points Bob and there is no doubt CNN and others over report on Covid. I've have one question in response to your last post. If everything you say is true, is 800 deaths in a day something we just accept as the new normal until we get a vaccine? What's the death rate for a really bad day during flu season.

Quote from: MightyGiants on July 20, 2020, 08:46:23 AM
John Oliver does an outstanding job breaking down the conspiracy theories and Covid


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b_eHBZLM6U

Watched last night but way too long for those that need to hear it.

A unified message would have gone a long way in keeping people home to ride this out. Instead we got the no mask wearing yahoo that suggested it would all be over in a couple of weeks. Then it was Easter or when it got warm out. Then it was ingest bleach or try experimental drugs. Before you know it we have heavily armed citizens storming their capitals demanding we open. If only we had a leader that would have unified the country so our numbers would have been down enough to reopen properly.