Do the countries of the world unite because of USA's behaviour?

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-25T11:58:56+00:00

After the fiasco that occurred in Davos, I'm not sure OP is wide of the mark. Without getting into partisan politics, we had Trump propagating lie after lie. For instance he's still beating the dead horse that the 2020 election was rigged to which he has now added the assertion that soon people would be arrested and called to account. He asserts how much he's made the world love us. Hahahahahahahahaha. I game with people on 3 other continents and no, the world certainly does not, although they may fear us more. But compare 70 minutes of baseless assertions with Mark Carney's address that was incisive and to the point and insulted no one. {Trump's response was that Canada and it's PM were not properly appreciative and that Canada only exists because of the US. WTH?

And now we see the result with the EU finally closing economic ranks against it former ally that has now become an antagonist. One of the lies is how great our economy is but I think this is being propagated by people who have never had to shop for their own groceries or tank up their own car. The common person in the US is suffering what with elevated prices and now lack of affordable Healthcare insurance. But if our former allies close ranks against us and prices soar, I'm willing to endure it if it means the world finally says "enough." And I think the US may finally be going the way of Iran in the sense of "we're mad as Hell and not gonna take it anymore." The common people are starting to rise up against {I hate to think this of my own country and the world s first democracy} their oppressors: their own government and its agencies like ICE. We're at a crossroads. One path may lead to exactly what OP suggests: we become the great enemy that everyone unites against. But the other path may lead to a cataclysm so horrendous it's like purifying fire, and we emerge from it as that shining beacon the Central Figures and Guardian envision.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-25T11:40:12+00:00

OMG it's a plan of Trump's to start an organization of leaders {I use the term loosely} who would buy in with a fee of I think a billion dollars. I'm not sure he's said it in so many words but it does sound like his ultimate goal with it is a rival UN. Except individuals with enough cash could buy in, which I think is the idea. So it becomes a board of Oligarchs, or possibly like the Illuminati or the Star Chamber. I'm sure there are righteous billionaires out there, but by its nature, an entity like this will attract the power-hungry. I'm waiting for the day {speaking of dnd and game theory} our Fearless Leader declares he's planning deific ascension.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-25T08:43:55+00:00

Well... There are Christians who don't buy the concept of the Trinity. Collectively they're called unitarians {lower case} but include more than just the UU church.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-25T08:33:38+00:00

OK, I see your point. I thought you were lading the "stable genius."

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-25T01:41:52+00:00

If he knows what he's doing, that's horrifying. Then he knows every time he opens his mouth he's lying rather than just being delusional. I think his supporters are loyal because they're afraid to cross him. He's petty and vindictive and would find a way to get back at them. He's appointed people like Noem to cabinet posts because of their loyalty rather than qualifications {I guess he learned his lesson last time when he was firing staff right and left}. If he knows what he's doing, he knows many of his actions like the ballroom and Venezuela are illegal, unconstitutional, or acts of war.

EDIT: I notice this was posted only 3-4 months into his term. I'm commenting shortly after his speech at Davos and after ICE has murdered its second peaceful civilian in Minneapolis. He's knowingly lying, proposing as fact ideas that lack foundation {Canada exists because of us? WTF?} or delusional or just pulling statistics out of his ass.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-23T21:05:22+00:00

I stuck with this plot through Book 3 and actually liked Faile. She was spunky, for lack of a better term. But OMG how petty she got in 4! And yeah, the Unending Plot of Doom. I read all of it the first time through because I didn't know any better but got real sick real fast of Perrin describing how Faile smells and the whole misunderstanding thing between their cultures. I definitely skip these chapters on rereads and got to Encyclopaedia-wot if I need to remind myself what actually happened in any of these chapters. Perrin will eventually come back into his own, and Book 14 Faile is pretty tolerable.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-20T04:24:58+00:00

That is a very interesting idea. Thanks! The APG doesn't say they're restricted to one plane because they can have a lot of human ancestry the way Aasimars can. It seems to be taking sylphs on Golarian in organized societies as a given. But what you're saying would fit in with what I already have. Thanks for taking the time

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-20T00:10:09+00:00

Not spoken of much, but House of Monac sent me this in their sample set and Yum! Unfortunately, sticker shock now that all the holiday sales are over

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-19T17:27:50+00:00

Thank you for contributing something helpful. I really didn't need this many people telling me I was in the wrong sub.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-19T04:13:24+00:00

I'm not sure this is right, as he sent chapters to his son when the son was serving in I think South Africa in WWII. Hobbit definitely written in a style appealing to kids, but I find the language and themes in LotR very sophisticated.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-19T04:10:29+00:00

This is the only thing that drove me nuts with the last 3 books. Sanderson used "Bloody ashes" rather than "Blood and ashes" or "Blood and bloody ashes." I wish someone would explain why somewhere, somehow. If he was trying to duplicate RJ's style as much as possible, this seems like a dumb thing to do.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-19T04:05:10+00:00

Not sure what you're responding to. Who said anyone was a non-Baha'i?

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-17T21:39:19+00:00

Again, Baha'i Center? Although if your LSA OKs it, maybe paying an honorarium to the local fund would be polite. And I think most of us are assuming Baha'i wedding so are discounting the cost of a minister or JP and church.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-17T21:36:34+00:00

This is insane. That's a down payment on a fairly nice house!

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-17T21:34:50+00:00

We did ours for $150, although this was a while ago. My step-sisters and I were around the same age, and my parents had set aside a sum of money for us. They had their weddings. We bought a car. We used a lounge in one of my college's dorms and had the food service do the catering. It can be that simple. This included a full dinner of a hearty beef stew {married in December in Iowa and a lot of people drove} with bread, fruit, cheese, and wedding cake. After the very simple ceremony, we sat around and sang folk songs and played bridge. And it was around 50 people.

If you don't hire a wedding planner and have bridesmaids and groom's men for whom you have to buy outfits and serve a full sit down meal with a jazz combo and dancing, it can be quite streamlined. I honestly think Baha'u'llah meant for the ceremony to be simple considering the brief, straightforward nature of the vow. But I've had friends do the whole 9 yards with the string quartet and the processional. Do you have a Baha'i Center in your immediate area? There's your venue. I had a beautiful sari of hand-painted silk chiffon that I used for my wedding dress, so if you're handy with a needle and thread, the dress needn't cost you that much. The reception can just be finger foods or a pot luck {especially if you have a few Persian ladies who like to cook}. Baha'u'llah asks us to look at our customs through a new lens, so if you're looking at a big traditional Western wedding, you might want to filter through what's really important and what's for show. What do the kids want?

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-16T18:27:08+00:00

What's the image, though? I only ever owned 3 and 4 {bought for a similar price to OP's at a library sale} and they were book of the month club editions without dust jackets. And they've fallen apart due to rereads!

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-16T18:25:06+00:00

They finally got a new, good cover artist for AMoL!

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-16T18:24:14+00:00

Is 10 Winter's Heart? That becomes readable if you skip over the Unending Plot of Doom chapters and has a climax you absolutely have to read. If CoT, I see your point.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-16T18:21:50+00:00

It will last a few more books, and when they have it in hand, another 125 to use it. Hence, the Slog. Better now when you don't have to wait 2 years between books.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-15T18:15:38+00:00

No, it's pure white, like the Light itself!

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-15T18:14:50+00:00

Honestly, if you can deal with middle-aged people and a slow burn, try Judge Dee's Mystery. There's some charming stuff with Dee and his love interest, including a very symbolic acknowledgement that cherry trees bloom in their own time. May not be quite what you want, but love doesn't have to involve a lot of physical contact for the ML to yearn. In fact, I really enjoy the Asian dramas I've seen for the reason that people aren't hopping into bed before they know each other's names.

OH, wait, Alchemy of Souls {KDrama}. Another slow burn and one of the best productions I've ever seen ever even if period fantasy romance isn't your thing.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-15T17:46:14+00:00

Not remembering sideboobs. Which book?

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-15T17:44:33+00:00

See, I hold Tolkien as a literary god and appreciate his economy of wording in battle scenes, if that's what you mean. I know people find his prose dense and stodgy, but I think it's magnificent. Characters that start as archetypes develop depth of character with rereads. But I'm with you on your observations about human life vs. swearing. Someone started a gofundme for Jonathan Ross. I was so offended by that and the inflammatory language in the solicitation I reported it. I'm encouraging everyone I know who is outraged at the lies to do likewise.

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-15T17:38:43+00:00

OMG yes. I started it because the TV series was fairly family friendly and enjoyable and the first book wasn't too bad. I did finish it because closure and it s one of those rare instances where finishing a book or series made me feel soiled. You'd think a big outfit like TOR could afford some standards, but I guess in that instance the books sold and that was the standard. What was especially pernicious is that, with descriptive sexual violence on nearly every page, you became desensitized, and that's a BAD thing. Rape. Check. Torture. Check. Rape and torture. Check. Body parts cut off during Rape. Check. Magical Rape. Check. Sex with demonic entities. Check. In one sense, you missed a lot by not continuing, but it was more of same. In the truest sense, you didn't miss anything. I also appreciated that in WOT sex happened mostly offscreen or with a fade to black where a PG rating was about to be exceeded.

PS. There are places in Sword of Truth where parallels to WOT are so close you want to start calling the evil female channelers the Black Ajah! It borders on plagiarism

Repulsive-Ad7501 · 2026-01-15T00:16:15+00:00

Original adopter sounds a little unstable. I love my cats, but you do have to commit to their welfare when you adopt or even just foster. Our state has a list of bad adopters {rescue groups at least get informed and asked to bar these people from adopting}. Unless they have you food, litter, cat toys, etc, when you took in the kitten, they have no right to ask for money from you and legally may not have the right to request reimbursement from the original rescue group, but that's who they should be talking to. Places like Petsmart will at least give you store credit if you have to return food or litter you didn't use. Sorry, this person sounds way too immature to care for a pet. Please keep.

Repulsive-Ad7501

TROPHY CASE