b.b. (on sanctions)

Dear friends, said the nerd, let me speak out for once on sanctions: I still don't believe in sanctions. Because the hand that causes pain by sanctions can never be accepted by those people whom you need in order to really overcome the regime: the very strong characters will never just "skip" their national pride. They DO need support from the West. And they need it as real partners. Their strength of opposition is depending on their economic and civil strength. But the more you press an entire state by sanctions, the more the regime you want to fight will concentrate the remnants of national wealth in its own hands, the weaker will the opposition be. If only the martyrs will still oppose their regime, then the outcome is, what we know already: a regime of martyrs. That is no good, friends, it is no good at all.

a.a.

If I were part of the rough folks or the strategic heads of the Syrian opposition, if I'd see that the conflict does not seem to end with a victory of either side, if I'd see that the government does not stop its attacks against the opposition and does not make any diplomatic effort, if I'd see that the Western world does nothing to help either side - I might feel tempted to say: why not provoke the neighbors who have Western affiliation so that they must needs react? The sad-eyed nerd, who didn't need to say that she just imagined how it would be, if, left her guests from the EinSatzLeitung with this, and didn't say a word to evaluate the forces fighting in that country.

z. context matters

Context matters, said a friend, and gave an example: yesterday, some swiss fake-company sent me a test -form of attractive simplicity. The "IQ-elite" was so very interested in analyzing my personality. They posed some questions, and you could choose between two sentences or four pictures (I'd rather be cool/ I tend to act warmheartedly, a picture showing different settings of evening occupation or holiday, where I'd always have prefered to be able to say, one evening reading, the other evening dining with friends, yet another evening dancing, and so on, but you had to choose one). Given, that they wanted to check your job-qualification, you would certainly sign the pictures and sentences in a way that could qualify you for a senior position in any job (the coolness, the mountains, the book etc.). Given, that they wanted to find out about your love-life and honor you with a nice partner, you would sign exactly the other pictures in order to be most attractive there (the dancing, the warmhearted way etc.). Given that they wanted to check your qualities as a performer in arts, you would sign in again another way (you would like to be in the shoes of Madonna rather than in those of Obama etc.). But how come that you expect them to reward you for anything, said the nerd, with a frown.