BTW about the Mayflower, the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving, I've read an interesting story: The First Thanksgiving was celebrated to give thanks to God for helping the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony survive the brutal winter. However God didn't show up (as usual) but instead the Plymouth settlers celebrated a harvest feast after a successful growing season thanks to a native. In fact, a Patuxet Native American who resided with the Wampanoag tribe, taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate in these new lands. That Native American was Squanto who finally settled with Pilgrims at the site of his former village, which the English named Plymouth.  He helped them recover from an extremely hard first winter by teaching them techniques to increase food production: by fertilizing crops. He also showed them the best places to catch fish and eels. He was critical to their survival.The Pilgrims set apart a day to celebrate at Plymouth immediately after their first harvest, in 1621. At the time, this was not regarded as a Thanksgiving observance; harvest festivals existed in English and Wampanoag tradition alike. How ironic History reversed each roles just like in The First Thanksgiving, painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863?1930)  ::)

Confusing Science with religion? All assessments made by these scientists about GW can be proved, demonstrated and ... challenged scientifically ! That hacking is a good point: it can lead to a contradictorily debate !

If we are to use a historical analogy, what the Diversity crowd is advocatig is no different than when the Romans allowed barbarian tribes to settle in the Roman borderlands without Romanizing them.  That worked out so well for the Romans too, didn't it?  The barabrians eventually destroyed the Empire from within; at least partially because they did not identify and agree with Roman values.  The same thing is happening in America today.

These barbarians didn't want to destroy the Roman Empire, the Empire provoked it.Take the Visigoths: they were allied to the Romans. Under the threat of the Huns, they asked to be allowed to settle inside the Empire. That was agreed by Rome because this could be useful with recruiting and using auxiliaries that Rome deeply needed to protect its borders.However when a famine broke out, Rome was unwilling to supply the Visigoths with the food they were promised nor the land; revolts ensued leading to 6 years of plundering and destruction throughout the Balkans, the death of a Roman Emperor and the destruction of an entire Roman army at the Battle of Adrianople in 378 which was the decisive moment of the war. The Roman forces were slaughtered and the Emperor Valens was killed during the fighting. Adrianople eventually forced the Romans to negotiate with the Visigoths and let the barbarians settle within the empire's boundaries, leading the final fall of Rome.The word "barbarian" itself shows the level of contempt, the Greeks first , the Romans after, showed towards "uncivilised" people, in this case just because of the difference of language first...Replace Rome by Western world , America or Europe, and tell me how this story about intolerance, contempt for "others" might repeat itself !! .Some attitudes seem to show the same reactions these ancient civilisation had: Feeling of superiority, rejection of difference, scare of diversity, etc.Diversity is not the danger but a difference scare is. TMO the point is: you must assimilate into the host culture and values if they are strong, enhancing status, promising a better future and ... open minded . (as Scout reminded me about the French civil unrest in 2005, just like in London in 1958 and 1981, or even in L.A. in 1992)So why, and how, these pockets of non-rule, non-integration emerged ? It didn't occur yesterday. Once you lock yourself inside the keep, no need to grumble, worse is to come...  😛

I mean here that you have to be opportunist otherwise you are condemned to vanish. Historical rule.

If you look at the Western Civilisation History, Westerners were opportunists: taking the best from other civilisations, improve it and use it for themselves or against their authors.When a civilisation starts to erect walls, rules, laws in order to keep a current status, (TMO) it shows fear of change, weakness, deny of adaptation. When you are confident in your values, nothing can afraid you.

The U.S. paid 60 million francs ($11,250,000) plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs ($3,750,000), a total cost of 15 million dollars for the Louisiana territory.  Good deal indeed.Anyway it's another mistake of Napo, just like the Ha?ti one about Toussaint "Louverture" ("the opening")...

Obama is president since when ? Give him some time

I think that the concept of Western Civilisation is to be developed into two main aspects: geography and culture.Geography because it developed in a specific area: the Mediterranean basin first with Greek and Roman civilisations, then englobing  West Europe with Germanic civilisations, spreading to Central and East Europe (Russia), then later to new conquered territories.Culture because all these nations and their following expansions (America, Australia and all other "Caucasian" colonised territories) share the same fundamental western values or philosophy: democracy, separation of powers, Christianity, etc.Considering Japan, South Korea and other democratic nations , I would be more careful: values, religion, politics, all aspects of civilisation are different. Their roots or History are totally different but respectable. Varnish is not the painting.

Ok, I found it here  😉I was wondering if my blog about imperialism regarding a possible explanation about the Islamist violence (terrorism) towards America would be relevant with this Philippines War discussion.The main idea I think to be important , is that shift from the Communist ideology to a religious one. I mean that during the XIXth century, it was about conquering territories, then during the XX c. it turned into a more ideological struggle: communism against capitalism. After the collapse of communism in the early 90's, Religion, especially ultra Islam, became the new threat...Regarding the Philippines War, the Vietnam war and the current wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and others, the main cause for these wars, victory or defeat, seems to be permanent: spheres of influence, supremacy.