re: What's the biggest eye opener that you've had while visiting another state/country etc?

-Socialized State-Run TV in Canada, first trip there I check in hotel and put on their version of the weather channel, and this was in 2017 mind you- and it looked like the 1994 version of the US weather channel. It was granulated pixelated shitty graphics, total mess. A high school student with a MAC and 8 hours of dedication as a science project would have looked better and sharper. Also their state run cell towers are garbage, even in downtown areas like Toronto and Montreal. You can barely send a text message on the public cell. You have to find a Starbucks or hotel with wifi to get anything done on your phone.


-Women and Children only beach in Abu Dhabi surrounded by impenetrable border wall to keep people from looking at women. Nearby mall in Dubai had graphics on the doors such as "No Smoking" but also "No public affection" with a graphic of two hands holding with a Slash going through it. And this is the "liberal" Arab country. Also, it was Christmas-time, and they all celebrated and love Christmas, Christmas trees, lights, santa, reindeer, music etc. As long as there's no Jesus or manger or shepards or wisemen, you know, actual Christ imagery. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - Good. Silent Night - Bad. i can also say that both cities are spotless. Even off the beaten path, you don't see litter in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. My host said it's because they will frick you up big time if you get caught littering. One final note about this trip to UAE- yes pork is legal to buy at the grocery store, but it's kept behind a curtain like porno in a VHS rental store. And you can buy alcohol at the store but only with a government license they give you with your visa. If you only have your passport for a short trip, you better have a host with a license from the government. Also I asked where all the poor people were, even off beaten paths. He said there are no poor people, every native gets oil royalty checks which are substantial. No immigrants are allowed unless they are rich. Temporary migrants from India and Iran are allowed in as construction workers, but those people are kept in concentration camps.

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I just haven't seen the cheap shite in France, Germany or England near as much as here. Also, not just the cheap/temporariness, but also the lack of planning and zoning makes shite look more ad hoc

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Drive around just outside of Paris. Project looking dumps.

Both Ireland and Guatemala had armed soldiers in front of banks with full auto rifles.

Guatemala had armed security squads in front of grocery stores and there were security gates to pull through to access the parking lot.

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Isn't friend of bill w also code for quitting from a serious pot addiction?

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Not that I've heard but I could see the relation. Even cruise ships have AA meetings that you will see listed as "Friends of Bill W" on the door of the meeting space.

Communism was a way to break the existing power structure, and shatter the native culture. It was a path to power.

It was also hugely nihilistic and awful.

What they did to those people, in the pursuit of power, was an unspeakable crime.

9.5 million died in the civil war alone, and then there was the long dictatorship, and the cultural genocide that was inflicted on the Russians.

It was understood at the time that it was a radical Jewish movement. But that’s something we’ve forgotten.

The Jews were also purged from the Soviet government in the 40s and 50s. As a tiny minority, it was only a matter of time before they were pushed out by the other ethnic groups which vastly outnumbered them. This certainly changed our perception of the USSR and Communism though. It was no longer an ethnic movement.

The Communist movement in the United States, as represented by people like Bernie Sanders, remained very Jewish though.

I grew up in the Arkansas delta and Toronto was the first international city I visited (maybe at 10 years old). The lack of personal space the Asian cultures have was overwhelming

Years ago I vacationed in the northeast, Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine to be exact. I was surprised at how many ice cream shops there were, particularly in New Hampshire. We went in January, and I remember thinking that they really love ice cream. It was unusual, at least to me.

First time I left Louisiana I realized how dirty and nasty it was. So much trash EVERYWHERE and never realized it wasn’t like that in other states.

First time in London and watching women head to toe in black try to eat ice cream behind their veils in the summer.

I wanted to know why only the women had to dress and eat ice cream like that.