David3State In reply to MTL3 [2024-07-09 08:05:56 +0000 UTC]

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David3State In reply to sox11 [2013-11-17 14:51:00 +0000 UTC]

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David3State In reply to nikki-bugPix [2013-11-13 22:12:07 +0000 UTC]

Thank you.

This is definitely a place that I let my more colorful side come out, although I have gotten into some enjoyable conversations with interesting people here as well.

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nikki-bugPix In reply to David3State [2013-11-13 22:15:45 +0000 UTC]

That is great.

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David3State In reply to nikki-bugPix [2013-11-14 00:51:50 +0000 UTC]

Thank you.

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David3State In reply to piaslave [2013-10-31 22:44:47 +0000 UTC]

Pia, we have a similar sense of smell.  And beauty!

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David3State In reply to sullivan84 [2013-10-27 22:03:06 +0000 UTC]

J'aime vos voitures.

(Poor French).

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sullivan84 In reply to David3State [2013-10-27 22:06:53 +0000 UTC]

merci beaucoup, pas grave si ton français est mauvais

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-26 06:31:00 +0000 UTC]

I do remember the newspaper article that prompted the skit. 

Liked it!!!!  And my experience is that the men from there are either degenerate adolescents that have nothing else on their minds (except possibly golf and whiskey), or are effectively eunuchs.  

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-26 06:35:45 +0000 UTC]

another another!  www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=6…

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-26 06:53:28 +0000 UTC]

The fight scene (Fight Club, if you will) took place in March of this year in Ukraine's parliament. 

Ukraine is one of the countries I am considering in my relocation plans.

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-26 17:52:28 +0000 UTC]

that's quite the accomplishment actually. Even more impressive is who you can pull this information out at will!

One of my best friends has relatives in Ukraine, I hear it beautiful. 

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-26 17:56:25 +0000 UTC]

I'm something of an expert in the former Soviet Union, and while watching the video I remembered the incident from early this year.

Haven't been to Ukraine (spent much time in Russia), but some areas are quite beautiful.

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-26 18:02:21 +0000 UTC]

Perhaps I'll be an expert on some part of the world. Germany might be a good place to start because of my heritage from there. (My Grandmother on my mom's side who's now deceased was 100% German, she married a man who was 100% Italian, making me 25% of both. heh If I were Japanese at all I'd be the Axis powers all in one. lol!) ((not counting the Allied Forces American, English/British, and French parts hehehee)) 

Then if you go there it'll be a new adventure! (I'd go to either if I got the chance)

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-26 18:20:20 +0000 UTC]

I find it very important to understand one or two countries VERY thoroughly, in terms of history, culture, relations with other countries, economy, national aspirations, resources and more.  I can leverage that knowledge and go to another place, entirely different, and see that society through the prism created by my knowledge of the first society. 

For instance, I am an expert on Russia and the former Soviet Union.  I can go to, say, Mali in west Africa and see the problems and issues and opportunities very well, which I would not be able to if I hadn't knowledge of Russia. 

Kind of like what I wrote to you about studying the French Revolution.  Funny, I first studied the Russian Revolution (1917), and when I started to read about the French Revolution (1789) I was shocked by all the parallels between the two events...it was like I read about the French Revolution before, but taking place 150 years later.

Of course you have to be sensitive to differences between societies, otherwise you are just looking at things with a narrow focus.  And Germany/Central Europe would be a good place to study-how a society grew up, suddenly (Germany did not exist until 1871 as a political entity), had challenges modernizing (Germany in the 1870s-1900 created things like a national healthcare system, kindergarten, etc), became aggressively expansionist, was destroyed and divided, and now is the biggest exporter in the world.

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-26 18:29:23 +0000 UTC]

Something tells me that I'm going to need to learn how to write longer comments; I sometimes feel like you're 1-up'ing me with all this information! ;D 

It's as if everything shares a connection no matte how far a part they seem eh? oh how the world works. (addressing your example with Mali and the parallel revolutions.) I remember in Honors World last year thinking a similar thing

I find it incredibly interesting how Germany began as a bunch of individual states along with the Holy Roman Empire. Was later fought over my Austria and the Awesome Prussia and then united under Prussia. It then began to industrialize and would become a super power rivaling and surpassing that of France with the wit and power of people like Otto Von Bismarck. Then everything went to shit when the stupid Kaiser threw out Bismarck and his diplomatic systems and all but caused WWI in one fell swoop.  

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-26 18:42:15 +0000 UTC]

Answer in a manner you feel appropriate, don't make it work or a match of word counts.  Or don't answer, there is no obligation.  I will say that as I resume normal activities I enjoy communicating and being clear.  I pushed every intern who worked with me to write every day, even if it was not core to their job, just so they can establish a connection between thoughts/ideas/thinking and the printed word.

You sum up Germany very well, and so succinctly that I believe you know the subject well.  Take it a step further and see if you can look out an outline of a country like, say, Mexico, or Nigeria, and use your knowledge of German history to allow you to see Nigeria's history more easily than if you didn't know Germany's history. 

You don't have to do it here (or at all, for that matter), but this is what I mean about looking at one place and understanding another.

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-26 21:26:29 +0000 UTC]

Then that is how I shall reply! If I had someone pushing me to write everyday I wonder how much better I'd be at it?

Thanks mate, it was one of the parts of last year's class that stuck in my mind like glue (other than the French Revolution and the WW's) Granted, I'm no where near being done with expanding what I know! (Apparently I had a relative who was a mayor or Governor of a city some time ago, I believe they're called "Hamburg-lars"??? or something like that? some thing that sounds like hamburger - in Northern Germany)

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-26 23:53:15 +0000 UTC]

I mentioned this to a German colleague of mine who has worked with several of the German states, and he sent me these two images.

The first is of your great great uncle (dressed in the striped outfit) as Lord Mayor of Hamburg (he served in this capacity from 1916-1923), along with some of his advisers:

0.media.collegehumor.cvcdn.com…

The second image is more unfortunate.  When the French invaded the Rhineland in the 1920s because of delays in reparation payment, they arrested several of the region's politicians, including your great great uncle's chief of staff:

0.media.collegehumor.cvcdn.com…

Your relative managed to escape the French (which, admittedly, is no more difficult than getting out of a moderately low chair), and as a direct result of his vigorous protests the French built the Maginot Line.

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-27 00:33:50 +0000 UTC]

Ha. Ha . Very funny. /sarcasm/ 

Byt I'm serious about it sounding like hamburger  

I will say though.  .. since I had to read this on my phone.  I didnyclick the links untilI had read the whole thing. It was pretty damn believable to be matter if fact. Then I realized "how would your informant know where to pull real information without a maiden namr?" Which then left me being some what disappointed.   

Then I laughed because of the hilarity if it all

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-27 00:39:05 +0000 UTC]

Personally I wanted you to laugh so hard that you...lost control.

I do write a good narration, though!  Did you like how I incorporated the perceived injustices in the Treaty of Versailles into your family history?

Hamburg.  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg

It's a very wealthy city, and it is also the way-station for several of the 9/11 hijackers

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-27 01:25:09 +0000 UTC]

I can assure you that when I clicked those links I laughed pretty damn hard  

losing control eh~~? 

I liked the historically accurate creativity you employed, yes! Remember when I asked if you've ever thought about writing a book? Have you thought about that any more?  

I'd like to go there some day. Heck I'd like to go everywhere in Europe some day, but I definitely want to go to Hamburg Germany.

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-27 01:43:07 +0000 UTC]

I have thought of the book.  My first thought is how to apply lessons of Formula 1 racing to everyday business issues (God only knows there's lots of books using 'normal' sports as guidance, except polo and Formula 1 racing).  I have given talks in the importance of immersing oneself in the history and culture and climate (not weather) of one country or society to understanding and working in another country.  Not sure if that would become a book-length work, but I certainly could make it an article in a business or policy publication.

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-27 01:46:04 +0000 UTC]

Something new and innovative is a good place to start. I doubt anyone has written such a book before. But why stop at business or policy?  

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-27 01:56:29 +0000 UTC]

There needs to be a focus for the audience.  Self-help books are a dime a dozen, and I have some expertise and experience in business and policy, but none in psycho-therapy.

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-27 02:00:54 +0000 UTC]

If you feel more grounded in one as opposed to other that too, is acceptable of course. 

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-27 02:10:37 +0000 UTC]

To some extent it is a matter of being more grounded in business and policy, but also it is a way of focusing in on a potential audience. 

Funny, I once read a book that was, something along the lines of Tony Soprano's Guide to being a Good Manager (from the TV show, The Sopranos, which you were probably too young to watch).  It was somewhat effective as a management teaching book. 

Funny, part 2:  I don't remember ever seeing a book that takes international relations, or history, as a guide to self-improvement.  I've seen character studies, I've seen biographies of course, but nothing like, say:

Kaiser Wilhelm's Mirror into Your Marriage,

or

Napoleon Got Over His divorce, You Can, Too!

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-27 02:15:19 +0000 UTC]

(slight tangent but hey ) If I were to write a book... it'd be one of those "streams of consciousness" things, I could definitely fill it.

As for the Sopranos, I've heard of it, but haven't seen them. 

As for part 2: It's that kind of thing that I'm talking about! and those titles would be gold!!

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-27 02:56:55 +0000 UTC]

Please don't write that, except as an art project. Stream of consciousness is what we're doing now, over what, 10 different threads.  I love it!  It's fun!  We're both learning how each other thinks! But no one who is not involved in the process wants to observe the process-they want beginning, middle and end.

Tony Soprano was the "mob leader" in New Jersey, and he experienced frustration in many aspects of his life:  with his biological family, with his mob associates, with rival gangsters, with his psychiatrist,  his favorite restaurant, etc.  And somehow he was able to lead, somewhat effectively.

I like those titles after looking at them again.  But to me the topics just don't mix in a marketable fashion.  Although in my own life I remember reading biographies of great leaders (Napoleon, Winston Churchill, Henry Kissinger) and was surprised how they had...problems in their youth.

Sophia, perhaps a book like..."What History Has Taught Me About Life" would work.  Chapters devoted to different life stages (birth, school, dating, marriage, divorce, bankruptcy, remarriage, alcoholism, dying)  and discussing within each chapter how "great people" dealt with this.  Both Christians and Muslims often discuss problems in terms of "What Would Jesus Do?" or "What Mohammad Did". 

Prompted solely by you.

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-27 03:04:04 +0000 UTC]

I thought about that kind of book after discussing art in History. Though I see what you mean when it comes to someone reading it... it really is fun to talk back and forth about all manners of things with someone. 

I'm telling you... the titles are gold! Even if there's no plan to use them. (maybe in your business book you could have a blooper type thing in the back with a silly short story.) 

"What History Has Taught Me About Life" sounds like a book I was definitely read and suggest to my friends. It could also be something that would appeal to many audiences..... PROFIT.

I should prompt things more often! I like where this is going!

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-27 03:08:28 +0000 UTC]

A question of prioritizing in my life now.  The last year would have been perfect to take to write more.  But I could narrow it down and devote a fixed amount of time, per day, to do it--probably 500 hours to write a 100-150 page book is manageable.

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-27 03:13:07 +0000 UTC]

hehe on that note, I think you'll have no problem figuring that kind of organization out! We all need something to do after all!

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-27 03:18:28 +0000 UTC]

Unfortunately that is one of my struggles, but it can be overcome (and has been in the past).

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-27 03:21:43 +0000 UTC]

Then we share the struggle! half the time I can't organize anything unless inspiration has hit in the face with a force. (like in a school project)

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-27 03:26:47 +0000 UTC]

Academic discipline is something that I did poorly at.  Intellectual discipline, a little better at.  Organization in general, mixed.

But I will say that I am both more successful and happier when I am organized.

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-27 03:31:16 +0000 UTC]

and I'm equally happy when I get all my work done! ....I still need to do that... woops

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-27 03:34:31 +0000 UTC]

You are aware that spending time and intellect on DA does not help with "get[ting] all [your] work done"??

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FreeSpiritedMind In reply to David3State [2013-10-27 03:37:21 +0000 UTC]

yea.... I know it doesn't... but this is much more fun and in some ways many more times engaging. 

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David3State In reply to FreeSpiritedMind [2013-10-27 03:55:54 +0000 UTC]

There are many times when that is useful.

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