Newsweek: Tribal ties—race, ethnicity, and religion—are becoming more important than borders.

Tribalism is not dead; on the contrary.
Same thing goes for gangs, "good ole' boys network", "in-crowds", brotherhoods, sisterhoods, fraternities, sororities, clans, prides, herds, flocks, pods, schools [of fishes], alliances, teams, commandos, etc.

Some tribes have their own style of clothing, or lack thereof.

Groups will always shoot "poison arrows" towards other groups.

And there are always "armies of ONE".

Tribesman shoots tribesman.

Even from the same tribe, should the paths cross too much.

Read a very interesting article from Newsweek:

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/26/the-new-world-order-a-map.html

"Broad concepts—green, socialist, or market-capitalist ideology—may animate cosmopolitan elites, but they generally do not motivate most people. Instead, the “tribe” is valued far more than any universal ideology. As the great Arab historian Ibn Khaldun observed: “Only Tribes held together by a group feeling can survive in a desert.”"

Germany and the Failure of Multiculturalism | STRATFOR; plus postcards from Deutschland

"Reprinting or republication of this report on websites is authorized by prominently displaying the following sentence, including the hyperlink to STRATFOR, at the beginning or end of the report."

"Germany and the Failure of Multiculturalism is republished with permission of STRATFOR."

Read more: Germany and the Failure of Multiculturalism | STRATFOR 



I am posting here excerpts and the link to a very good article by George Friedman, of http://www.stratfor.com.
Only financial reasons prevent me from subscribing - otherwise I would absolutely enjoy reading all their articles (especially those written by George).
Very insightful ideas...
masterful choice of the juiciest, most percutant words...
and a clear, enjoyable style.
Tasty and spicy (though not crazy-spicy) "Food for Thought".
READ, baby! :)
Don't limit your geopolitical horizon only to your 6 o'clock news, or so.
There are more significant things happening in the world (and eventually affecting "U 2") than the garden variety of your TV news, sandwiched between commercials.

"Two things have forced the re-emergence of German national awareness. The first, of course, is the immediate issue — a large and indigestible mass of Turkish and other Muslim workers. The second is the state of the multinational organizations to which Germany tried to confine itself. NATO, a military alliance consisting mainly of countries lacking militaries worth noting, is moribund. The second is the state of the European Union. After the Greek and related economic crises, the certainties about a united Europe have frayed. Germany now sees itself as shaping EU institutions so as not to be forced into being the European Union’s ultimate financial guarantor. And this compels Germany to think about Germany beyond its relations with Europe."


"Merkel’s statement is therefore of enormous importance on two levels. First, she has said aloud what many leaders already know, which is that multiculturalism can become a national catastrophe. Second, in stating this, she sets in motion other processes that could have a profound impact on not only Germany and Europe but also the global balance of power."

Read more: Germany and the Failure of Multiculturalism | STRATFOR 

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Let's say I want to create a maximum card about Germany [I have none, so far :( ].

FIP Commission for Maximaphily exhibiting rules say that I should NOT use a multiview postcard like this:

What I could do is to find (or create at zazzle) a small stamp with the flag of Germany, for example.

If I could get that stamp postmarked on the picture side, in some corner, it would look very good to me.:)

It would be a dorincard (in this case a non-traditional maximum card), representative of Germany.

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Another postcard that I received from a German partner/friend is this:

Doesn't that jumping lamb know that its destiny is to be sacrificial?

Or, maybe he knows, and that's exactly why he's jumping, "living his life at its fullest".

Enjoy while you can! (whatever you enjoy)

BBC: "US signals new economic push" and "China's leaders meet to plan economic future" - the rich are getting too rich, while the middle class gets "Standard & Poor" :)

BBC: "US signals new economic push"; my message to US: "Pu-push it real good!".

We need a faster recovery! :)

BBC: "China's leaders meet to plan economic future"; my message to China: "That's the way, aha, aha..."

We are glad that "political reform will even be on the meeting's agenda, after Premier Wen Jiabao recently issued a call for openness.

Mr Wen told US broadcaster CNN earlier this month that calls for "democracy and freedom [in China] will become irresistible".

In August, he said: "Without political reform, China may lose what it has already achieved through economic restructuring."

"The BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing says China wants to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor, which has grown in order to prevent strikes and disputes over pay, which have led to social unrest in the past."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11548789

The Roman Empire resorted to PANEM ET CIRCENSES to distract the large crowds of unemployed, unrested and unruly citizens.

Crowd Control Techniques.

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Now, back to the ranch, in USA.

"Democrats must know high unemployment in America has little or nothing to do with China. Yes, China should allow the yuan to rise further against the dollar. But China’s under-valued currency isn’t the reason we’ve lost 15 million jobs since the end of 2007. No, the tax code shouldn’t reward companies for relocating jobs there. But this tax break is barely relevant to the situation we’re in.

Our jobs crisis is due to the collapse of demand in the U.S. after the housing bubble burst. No longer able to borrow against the rising value of their homes, the vast American middle and working class can no longer spend enough to keep the economy going.

If Democrats (or Republicans, for that matter) want to blame something, blame America’s record level of inequality – an almost unprecedented concentration of income and wealth at the top, and a smaller proportion for the vast middle."

http://robertreich.org/

Filthy rich, beware! Don't let 99% of the population get desperate, just because you can.

Amassing [wealth] may be hazardous to you, eventually. Read and learn from history.

You may rich reach :) the critical mass...or rather a mass of people critical of you.

:)

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Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!

Please visit: http://thebestheartsarecrunchy.blogspot.com/