Soros and at least one Koch started holding hands for a common purpose: they call it something else, but it’s really about ending America’s “world cop” legacy role. Far more important to Romanians, on the foremost blog in the SE Of europe (ran out of capitals), a guest author makes almost as many language mistakes as the owner but has more consistently enlightened viewpoints.

The connection between Soros and Koch is largely antagonistic and that’s why their “union” is so surprising. It’s a good thing for them and for our general sanity, as I’m getting so tired of seeing Soros vilified. Especially since, in the 90s, the vast majority of Romanians with whom I was interacting online accessed the Internet through his Open Society Foundation, using his grants.

Secondly, I was myself a bit partisan in the way I sometimes described the Koch brothers. It’s worth noting that they are sponsoring a number of initiatives that are useful to all of us and are not partisan in anyway – see, for instance, BigThink.

While the American retreat from the world scene makes perfect sense and is an idea they have in common with Trump, it might turn out not so great for the rest of us. I’m still unhappy with Romania’s military budget. Even if we were to consecrate all GDP to an arms race with Russia, our main threat, we’d still lose.

As for the blog mentioned before, I have to say that I read it with difficulty. In this “guest” post (a guest who is quasi-permanent) there is even talk about tolerance, racism and xenophobia, and though it follows a predictable path:

1. mildly balanced view on immigrants, and “islamization”,
2. replies / comments of “look what happened to me, henceforth islamophobia / antiziganism / racism”
3. someone mentions fable (cc-fable) and others tabloid racism (bld-xlt)
4. there are some comments that make sense, but they are lost in the sea of idiocy

the author’s effort is notable. It’s also quite different from what we’ve been accustomed to get from the blog owner.

It’s difficult for me to read primarily because of grammar. Reading

Asta chiar ca e trist. Sa citesti Harari si sa le dai la muie la imigranti. (correct: “imigrantilor” – Dativ if I remember correctly)

is painful, because while seeing errors of language while reading a dumb opinion is ok, seeing such errors at someone you agree with hurts.

Maybe I forgot my grammar and the above is now de riguer in my native pond (aka “balta bastinasa”), or the language has evolved and I’m still stuck in the old rules.

On the plus side, he’s doing what may be the Ampler bike challenge. What’s stopping you?

Sources / More info: bg-sorkoc, yt-wbstck, fl-butterfly, bld-xlt, zoso.ro/insolatie, ampler-2019, cc-fable,