Interesting chart in this Beeb article on the G20 meeting. Seems the US already "protects" nearly twice as much as the next nearest country and still think they get a raw deal. Mnuchin supports free trade so long as it's balanced free trade. Doesn't look very balanced to me.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-39315098

But then America has always, to a certain extent, gone its own way and said sod it to the rest of the world. Trump's just aiming to take it to a new level.

Mugabe didn't have nukes.

Well there you go, a totally unelected total dick.

1. Why does the EU need an army?
2. Thank Christ the UK are leaving.
3. EU defence spending will still be a piss in the ocean when compared to the US.

All the statements you quoted are directed towards Trump, yet he isn't a member of EF, at least...not that I'm aware of. Are you implying that the members of EF cannot criticise the POTUS?

Just so it's clear where I stand:

I thought Mr Obama was a baby-killing, terrorist-funding bastard. But he wasn't a dick.

I don't know where Mr Trump stands on the killing of babies or the funding of terrorists. But he's still a dick.

Being a dick isn't a matter of morality. It's simply a matter of being a dick.

Yes, those are the frequent ideas on arts.

Kids is one thing - they will be creative no matter what.

Creative process is a method. Very little to do with environment, so is my experience with psy of creativity. In fact, deprived artists are phenomenal. When one collects the results of "protected, schedulled...rewarded, appraised" art or innovation, it sucks. Lot of volume, little innovation. Google is veering off the hipster kindergarden schtick they had in order to stimulate creativity at a workspace. They just hire enough really creative, underfed minds from India/South America, etc. Productive, intelligent and acquiring the reliably unique creative method.

Critical thinking - similar trends. Everybody incorporated critical thinking as terminology, yet there is just a faint trace of critical thinking skills, despite the righteous campaign and huge expenses on changing curriculum. A fad?

Re. Safe spaces..Communities eat themselves. It is the same with school and safe place to think. The unsafety/inefficiency is usually caused by something in the community not working. I dare to think, sending more cops/cash/policies from outside will do squat nothing. Entitlement makes it worse, it inhibits and blames the outside instead of looking for improvement within the community.

Arts and academia needs to restructure, me thinks. Out with safe spaces and entitlement. Rebuild, construct..independence.

As per arbiter of creativity - check out the plethora of accessible rubrics. Avoid the misleading ones, mistaking productivity for innovation. Or ego boost. Yanks are masters at those, yet manage to pollute the concept with lovely pc terminology, calling those who show mere effort "masters or experts". Like that's gonna make somebody progress.

__________________
"L'homme ne peut pas remplacer son coeur avec sa tete, ni sa tete avec ses mains." J.H. Pestalozzi

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.” S.P. Cadman

I don't buy a single bit of what you present as anti-intellectual pov

You what?

That Obama droned civilians to their deaths makes him a dick.

That he did so with a solemn countenance and a decent soundbite just makes him a politician.

Trump isn't a politician. Just a dick.

And still people don't get it.

Trump chose, of his own free will, to run for office. When you are responsible for an entire nation, everything you do is open to comment.

The WH have accused GCHQ of wiretapping Trump's private residence. The WH have repeatedly refused to apologise for that comment, and reports from Downing Street that the WH has agreed to not repeat such accusations, have been denied. So, either Downing Street or the WH or both are lying.

In the press conference with Merkel, Trump stated on camera, that he made no comment regarding the original wiretapping allegations and reporters should refer to Fox News. The problem with his statement is that Trump's twitter account clearly show the comments he made on the matter a few weeks ago.

In light of Trump's words, actions and denials, I feel more than justified in criticising him. He has insulted my native country and is treating the public as if they don't have the wits to cross reference material from yesterday with material from two weeks ago. Again, that more than justifies any criticism made of him and he would do well to take heed, because when he wants to drag the US into a war situation, the response may well be that he's on his own from America's current allies.

Ok. You made your points. I don't agree with a lot of what you said, but I'd rather crochet than pick nits.

Because he's a Дик (Dik)

True but Trump seems to have the wrong idea about NATO!

His tweet
When countries increase their NATO budgets the money goes to support their own military; not to NATO or the US!

Why does the US or the U.K. need an army? It is the exact same answer! An clearly it makes no sense to continue an alliance with a country whose policies are so adverse to that of the EU members.

There is no reason why the EU should not act to defend its interests just as just as the US or the U.K.

and if anyone who believes that any president from now until eternity won't have blood on their hands because of pointless military interventions sanctioned by the Senate and Congress and sponsored by the military industrial complex is also a dick.

Of all the president dicks to have graced the word stage in recent years, Obama was the least dicky at least in domestic policy.

I really wonder if you have direct experiences with the US or if you are relying on generally available information. The world famous "Politically Correct" trend sweeping the US is basically a cover-up for missing common felt values in the populace; if you can't stop being racist,...then at least don't show it. In reality , very few people change their feelings just by being commanded to act in a certain way.

As for entitlements, in the US, they act as a pressure valve to "difuse" a permanent underclass with little prospect of upward mobility. The organized outrage that brought DT to power is the result of a gradual slide of "blue collar" folks into the permanent underclass.

You seem to use "entitlements" as a curse word to indict folks who won't kill themselves outright so we , the better to do, don't have to look at them.

The US is not a place of security for but the very few. Most people I know struggle to stay above water. People in the arts, even more so. There are way too many creative people to fund , thus the little money there is goes to the highly active and highly networked, not saying they don't deserve it.

Lastly, I suggest that DT be ignored as a person. He is distracting the populace with his antics, like a mediocre magician. We should be focusing on his administration only, 'cause there, are taking place the real moves and shifts which we should be aware of.

You're from Canada?

Tom

Perhaps time to run the poll again?

Watch the Press Conference between Trump and Merkel. Use it to practise your German but also evaluate what was actually said. In the race on how to be presidential, Merkel won by a mile. Seriously, Trump even had to mention fake news when taking a question from a German reporter.

https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/...e-Schelte.html