Apologetics

**Soirée débat — Cuba : l’échec du communisme ? Aux radical-chic européens ne reste-t-il que la Corée du Nord ?** Cette semaine, notre discussion porte sur Cuba. Depuis la révolution de 1959, l’île est gouvernée par une dictature communiste. Pendant des décennies, Cuba a survécu grâce au soutien économique de puissances alliées, d’abord l’Union soviétique, puis le Venezuela, l'Iran, la Chine. Aujourd’hui, l’économie cubaine traverse une crise profonde : pénuries alimentaires, coupures d’électricité, inflation, migration massive et dépendance énergétique. La fin du soutien pétrolier vénézuélien ont accentué une situation déjà dramatique. Dans le débat public occidental, Cuba est souvent présentée à travers des récits simplifiés : – soit comme un symbole romantique de résistance révolutionnaire – soit comme un exemple caricatural d’échec politique Notre objectif n’est pas de répéter ces récits. Notre objectif est de comprendre. *** ### **Topics We Cover** Nous analyserons la situation cubaine à travers plusieurs angles : **1\. Le système politique cubain** Comment un régime communiste à parti unique a-t-il maintenu le pouvoir pendant plus de six décennies ? **2\. L’économie cubaine et ses limites** Pourquoi l’économie planifiée cubaine produit-elle pénuries chroniques, dépendance énergétique et faible croissance ? **3\. Les sanctions américaines** Quel est l’impact réel de l’embargo américain ? Affaiblit-il le régime ou renforce-t-il sa légitimité politique ? **4\. La fin du soutien vénézuélien** Quel rôle le pétrole subventionné du Venezuela a-t-il joué dans la survie du modèle cubain — et que se passe-t-il lorsque ce soutien disparaît ? **5\. L’avenir de Cuba** Transition politique, réforme économique progressive ou stagnation durable ? *** ### **What Makes This Different** – Nous privilégions les témoignages de personnes originaires ou connaissant directement la région – Nous examinons ce que les médias simplifient ou ignorent – Nous encourageons les désaccords argumentés et les perspectives contradictoires – Nous analysons les intérêts, les rapports de force et les réalités économiques — pas les slogans Ce n’est pas un espace de propagande. C’est un espace de réflexion. *** ### **Why This Forum Exists** À Bruxelles, plusieurs initiatives proposent des débats structurés. Trop souvent, cependant, un petit cercle détermine les propositions et limite la diversité réelle des conclusions possibles. Il existe aussi des espaces où la géopolitique se réduit à des slogans anti-américains ou à des indignations partisanes. Ce forum n’est ni l’un ni l’autre. Nous accueillons une véritable diversité d’opinions et d’expériences. Personne ici ne sera exclu pour avoir remis en question un récit dominant. Les idées se confrontent librement. Les attaques personnelles ne sont pas tolérées. *** ### **Motions & Proposals Welcome** Nous encourageons les participants à proposer des motions de débat. Une motion doit être formulée avec sérieux : – une thèse claire – un minimum de contexte historique ou juridique – une compréhension des enjeux géopolitiques Les propositions destinées à stimuler la réflexion sont bienvenues. Les slogans et provocations faciles ne le sont pas. *** ### **Languages** La langue dépendra des participants présents. Les débats se déroulent généralement en anglais et en français, mais nous pouvons accueillir d’autres langues lorsque cela est possible. Langues actuellement possibles : – English – Français – Nederlands – Español – Italiano – Русский – Farsi L’objectif est la compréhension, pas la pureté linguistique. *** ### **What We Ask of Participants** – Venez pour comprendre, pas pour “gagner” un débat – Soyez ouverts à des perspectives qui contredisent les vôtres – Parlez avec des faits, du contexte et de l’histoire – Si vous proposez un sujet, venez préparé – Critiquez les idées, jamais les personnes – Pas de censure des opinions – Pas d’attaques personnelles – Pas de diffamation Le désaccord est normal. La paresse intellectuelle ne l’est pas. *** ### **This is not a dating meetup** Tous les espaces sociaux ne sont pas destinés à flirter ou à chercher des opportunités romantiques. Si vous considérez ce forum comme un terrain de drague ou que vous faites des avances non désirées, vous n’avez pas compris le but de ce groupe. La conversation vient d’abord. Les idées viennent d’abord. Le respect vient d’abord. *** ### **Location & RSVP** L’événement aura lieu à Ixelles, dans un bar public. Pour préserver la qualité et la sécurité de la discussion, le lieu exact est communiqué uniquement aux participants confirmés via notre groupe WhatsApp. 👉 Pour RSVP et recevoir le lieu : https://chat.whatsapp.com/LX7UkWGZ3UdLQWLBvNdezN L’objectif n’est pas l’exclusivité. L’objectif est une discussion sérieuse entre personnes capables de réfléchir librement. The goal is not exclusivity, but accountability and quality of discussion. If this format doesn’t suit you, this event may not be the right fit.

**Sommes-nous devenus les simples managers de notre existence ?** Courir après le temps, cocher des listes de tâches, jongler entre les responsabilités professionnelles et les impératifs familiaux... Notre quotidien ressemble souvent à une course de fond où chaque minute est rentabilisée. Mais au milieu de ce tourbillon, une question finit par surgir : **où est passé notre esprit ?** À force de répondre aux besoins des autres et aux urgences du calendrier, nous risquons de devenir étrangers à nous-mêmes. Est-il encore possible de cultiver une vie intérieure quand l'agenda est complet ? La philosophie est-elle un luxe réservé à ceux qui ont du temps, ou une nécessité vitale pour ne pas s'oublier ? **Lors de ce dialogue philosophique, nous ferons une pause pour explorer ensemble :** * **La dictature de l’utile :** Pourquoi nous sentons-nous coupables dès que nous ne "produisons" rien ? * **Retrouver son centre :** Comment l'esprit peut-il rester libre au milieu des contraintes ? * **La quête de sens :** Comment transformer nos obligations quotidiennes en une vie qui nous ressemble vraiment ? Nul besoin d’avoir lu tous les classiques. Venez simplement avec votre fatigue, vos interrogations et votre envie de redonner une place à la réflexion au milieu du chaos. ✨ **Offrez-vous une parenthèse pour respirer et remettre l'esprit au cœur de votre vie.** *** **Infos pratiques :** * **Tarif :** 5€ (boisson comprise) * **Esprit :** Un moment d'échange pour déconnecter du "faire" et se reconnecter au "penser".

Wil je sterker leren spreken voor een groep? Meer zelfvertrouwen krijgen tijdens presentaties, vergaderingen of sociale situaties? Welkom bij de eerste bijeenkomst van **De Sprekersclub Brussel** – de enige volledig Nederlandstalige Toastmastersclub in Brussel. Dit is geen cursus met theorie, maar een praktische en interactieve bijeenkomst waar je leert door te oefenen, te observeren en feedback te krijgen in een veilige en positieve omgeving. *** ## Wat kan je verwachten? Tijdens deze bijeenkomst ervaar je hoe mensen hun communicatievaardigheden ontwikkelen door: • korte voorbereide speeches • spontane spreekmomenten (vrijblijvend) • constructieve feedback • een gestructureerde maar ontspannen sfeer • kennismaking met het Toastmasters-concept Je hoeft geen ervaring te hebben. Veel gasten komen gewoon kijken tijdens hun eerste bezoek. *** ## Wat is Toastmasters? Toastmasters is een wereldwijd netwerk dat mensen helpt groeien in **publiek spreken, presentatievaardigheden en leiderschap**. Door regelmatig te oefenen en feedback te krijgen, bouwen leden stap voor stap meer zelfvertrouwen op. Meer dan een opleiding is het een leercommunity waarin iedereen elkaar vooruithelpt. *** ## Voor wie is dit? Deze bijeenkomst is ideaal als je: ✔ beter wil leren presenteren ✔ zelfverzekerder wil spreken in het Nederlands ✔ spreekangst wil overwinnen ✔ communicatievaardigheden wil verbeteren ✔ persoonlijke of professionele groei zoekt Introvert of extravert? Iedereen is welkom. *** ## Praktische info 📍 Locatie: GC Den Dam, Waversesteenweg 1741, Brussel 🕒 Start: 19u (kom gerust iets vroeger voor kennismaking) 💶 Deelname: gratis en vrijblijvend Je mag deelnemen wanneer je wil, maar observeren is perfect oké. *** ## Nieuwsgierig? Klik op **“Inschrijven”** en ontdek hoe oefenen in een ondersteunende omgeving het verschil maakt. Misschien is dit wel de plek waar spreken plots natuurlijk begint te voelen.

You can now join us for some friendly Badminton games on Wednesdays too! All levels welcome! IMPORTANT: in order to secure your place you’ll need to both book a spot on Meetup AND pay €8 by Sunday 18h00. This is to make sure we can cancel courts if demand isn’t there, and make sure we’re being fair to people on the waiting list. Refunds will only be possible after Monday AM if another player is definitely able to take your spot Always worth joining our Whatsapp group as well for faster, often better, updates: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FTipqtyIwcZLThbw8KpQtZ?mode=gi_t

In this format, the audience is informed of the motion ahead of time, allowing for a more strategic and engaging discussion. Eight participants, selected at the start of the evening, will engage in the debate while the remaining attendees act as the audience. Debaters will have the opportunity to state a preference for either side of the motion. The debate will still require 4 speakers on each team regardless of personal preference, however. Each debater will have approximately 45 minutes to prepare an 8-minute speech. At the conclusion of the debate, the organizer will evaluate each team's strategy and declare a winner. The motion we will debate: **This House believes that current investments in AI are a waste of resources.** Earlier this year, a study revealed that CEOs say the word "AI" more often than "earnings" during an earnings call, a regular event when top level executives discuss the financial results for the reporting period to shareholders and other stakeholders of a company. That talk about AI has surpassed talk about money in these types of meetings is an emblematic symbol of our day and age: AI is taking the world by storm, and if the hype is to be believed, we are entering into a revolutionary period that will see society fundamentally shift, probably in the next decade or so. Proponents of AI state that AI will be able to do much of the work that humans currently have to do, essentially replacing human labor at a level equivalent or perhaps even exceeding that of industrialization. The efficiency benefits, the potential for new breakthroughs, and the inherent advantages that computers have over humans (such as requiring much less downtime, for example by not needing to rest or eat), all of this means that the nature of how we work, and by extension, live, would be fundamentally changed. Investors have, for several years now, been putting their money where their mouth is, pouring huge amounts of money into the AI sector in the hope of achieving phenomenal profits. For all the hope that business has in AI, however, the future is far from certain. Voices have risen up that state that much of the potential of AI is overblown, and that AI is a bubble that will pop sometime in the next few years. They do not believe the hype around the technology reflects the reality of how it works, and that the money being poured in is therefore being misattributed. The AI sector is also very resource-intensive. The amount of energy, water, microchips, and other resources that AI data centers require is very high. If the AI breakthroughs that are promised come to fruition, then perhaps this might be worth it, but if AI is indeed a bubble, we are using up a lot of precious resources at a time of geopolitical and environmental precarity. Depending on your position, the societal debate around AI leaves a very different impression. While only time will tell where the chips actually land, in the meantime, come join us at Brussels Debaters for a lively discussion on where all of this may be heading.

🌙 Evening Hike – Hallerbos (Start: Parking at ’t Kriekske, 18:45) This evening hike begins at 18:45 from the parking area right next to restaurant ’t Kriekske, perfectly timed to enjoy the soft light as the forest transitions into dusk. The route covers a maximum of 8–10 km, making it an accessible and relaxed walk suitable for all levels. From the parking, wide forest paths lead you straight into the heart of the Hallerbos. As the sun lowers, the beech trees filter the last warm light, creating long shadows and a calm, almost cinematic atmosphere. In spring, the fading daylight highlights the purple-blue carpet of bluebells, giving the forest a magical glow. The trail is mostly flat and easy to follow, ideal for unwinding after a busy day. You’ll hear the forest slowly quiet down while birds settle for the night and the evening breeze moves through the tall trees. After completing the loop, we return directly to ’t Kriekske, where we end the evening together with a drink or meal — the perfect way to wrap up a peaceful walk in one of Belgium’s most enchanting forests. What to bring Hiking shoes 👞 for the muddy paths 😅 Some cash and cards for drink at the restaurant

Spend time in the company of other writers putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard. Work on your current project or start something new. If you are fresh out of inspiration a member of the Wordcraft Collective will be ready with a prompt to get you going. You can use that to unlock your creative brain before moving back to your own project or run with it. Who knows where the story will take you? Arrive when you like, leave when you like, or join us for a drink in the bar downstairs afterwards. Location: Pianofabriek, Rue du Fort 35, 1060 Saint-Gilles.

Welcome to our weekly event in the upstairs room of The Sister Café, rue Chair et Pain 3, one block from the Grand Place. Please get there early enough to order your drink at the bar first. Thank you! After introductions we will collect questions from the group participants, choose one by voting then discuss it for an hour. Then most of us stay for drinks and bizarre conversations. Past questions have been wide and not confined to academic philosophy: What is a genuine friend? Is social media turning us into emotional zombies? Do we lose some of the experience of things by defining them? Are we driven by sex? Is loneliness a personal failure? Is morality relative? **Crucially, be kind and respectful and generous** in your disagreements; remember how much you personally enjoy someone else proving you wrong before celebrating your cutting counterexamples.

Register yourself on the [website to receive the full details](https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/j5YTbU6YaGLgGOXyvMNn). How can you benefit from learning more about karma and YOUR karma? Join us to learn more about karma and practices that you can use to improve your own life! The talk will be followed by a guided meditation to bless ourselves and the Earth, called Twin Hearts Meditation. WE NEED LOVE, THE WORLD NEEDS LOVE **Sunday** **10:30 - 11:30** Av Louise 505, Brussel Donation-based. There is a box at the entrance to receive your donation Register yourself on the link a the top to receive all the details This talk + meditation is followed by a Pranic Healing session, a powerful healing system to bring more inner peace, self-connection, and emotional and physical healing. You can register yourself the [healing session that follows her](https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/7QLiiTnqLMxNg6Bdm5Bm)e. With love, Juliana

Please [register yourself on the website ](https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/7QLiiTnqLMxNg6Bdm5Bm)to receive the details of how to join. This powerful healing technique removes the negative energies and blockages to then nbe replaced by life energy or prana. Organized by Juliana Cruz, a Pranic Healing practitioner for over 10 years. These donation-based sessions are in a group session, done by different practitioners who have learned Pranic Healing. The sessions take from 20 to 30 minutes. * **Sunday** **From 11:30 to 12:50** 20 - 30 min session per person First-come, first-served. This practice comes after a meditation (from 10:30 to 11:30) to receive and share energies of loving-kindness to the entire Earth. You can join by [registering yourself here](https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/j5YTbU6YaGLgGOXyvMNn). With love, Juliana

Unlock the secrets of your body shape and morphology and learn how to dress in a way that truly empowers you. In this workshop you will discover how to choose better your clothes and styling techniques that transform your appearance and self confidence . Price : 15€

Register yourself on the [website to receive the full details](https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/j5YTbU6YaGLgGOXyvMNn). How can you benefit from learning more about karma and YOUR karma? Join us to learn more about karma and practices that you can use to improve your own life! The talk will be followed by a guided meditation to bless ourselves and the Earth, called Twin Hearts Meditation. WE NEED LOVE, THE WORLD NEEDS LOVE Sunday 10:30 - 11:30 Av Louise 505, Brussel Donation-based. There is a box at the entrance to receive your donation Register yourself on the link a the top to receive all the details This talk + meditation is followed by a Pranic Healing session, a powerful healing system to bring more inner peace, self-connection, and emotional and physical healing. You can register yourself the [healing session that follows here](https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/7QLiiTnqLMxNg6Bdm5Bm). With love, Juliana

***Clutter isn't just about stuff!*** Two hour, in person introductory workshop, centred around self-discover, purpose and soul connection syncing with nature and its elements. Format: Unteractive, introspective and experiential. Bring: Your curiosity and a notebook / journal. Registration necessary.

Sleep in on Sundays. When you've had your fill of pajama-time, roll out and have some tasty brunch with your fellow Humanists!

This is an in-person meeting. Did you know that unwanted emotions like loneliness, sadness, hopelessness, anger, fear, anxiety, or feelings of irritation don’t just fall on you for no reason. They are not random occurrences that simply happen to people's minds. They are definitely not chemical imbalance in your brain due to some nebulous chemical reactions by chance. Your negative emotions are the symptoms of the painful experiences that you have which are not healed, and which are still affecting you. The effects of these painful experiences are exacerbated by the pressures or difficulties of the other problems in your life. For instance, let's say you are already carrying a huge load on your back, then you cannot take on much more, but, let's say something else happens to you, such as the difficulties from the Pandemic, then the resultant combined weight on you can take you over the edge, kind of like the straw that break the camel's back. When this happens, people's attention usually goes to the straw that was added, but actually the majority of the weight had come from the huge load that were already there, holding a person down and causing a person issues. So how do you remove the huge load that was already there? How do you lighten them up? Is it possible to get rid of them? That is what this meeting will be all about. Come to our Meetup, where we can introduce you to some of the knowledge, tools and techniques of the breakthroughs in the field of the mind that we can apply to this ever important area of life. Be sure to click on the red "Attend" button below to come to this local event. We look forward to seeing you there. This group is created by the Dianetics and Scientology Life Improvement Center of Central Ohio.

Christians in Tech is a community at the intersection of faith and technology. Our meetups are designed to spark meaningful conversations, promote knowledge sharing, and encourage growth—both in your career and your spiritual walk with God. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting your tech journey, CIT welcomes you. Our Website [https://linktr.ee/citcbus](https://linktr.ee/citcbus) Sponsors and Partners * Improving (Venue Sponsor) * Bethel World Prayer Center (Fiscal Sponsor) * Fruits & Roots (Coffee Partner)

Physics of Astrology - 6 sessions with Nadia Smirnova - Mierau 6 weekly classes starting on Tuesday April 21, 2026 Register at: LakeCountyAstrology.com Step out of the closet and confidently defend your astrological practice—without getting called crazy at dinner parties! This transformative course explores the physical mechanisms underlying planetary influences on human life. Whether you're a beginner or experienced practitioner, you'll gain the knowledge and vocabulary to articulate how astrology works when your skeptical uncle starts rolling his eyes. Learn to bridge the language of astrological symbolism with modern scientific concepts, understand the tangible forces at play in celestial influence, and develop unshakeable confidence in your practice. No more apologetic mumbling or changing the subject—equip yourself with a solid theoretical foundation that honors astrology. Bio: Nadia Smirnova-Mierau is a New York based astrologer, writer, speaker and ESP practitioner. A former nuclear physicist from the USSR, she has been studying and practicing astrology and extrasensory techniques for over 30 years. Her passion lies in deep investigation and explanation of how astrology and ES abilities work from a physics perspective. Her revolutionary theoretical framework explaining the physics behind planetary influence on our daily life and human extrasensory perception is presented in ‘Physics of Astrology’ book and e-book series (https://www.amazon.com/author/nadia). Related articles by Nadia have been published in NCGR e-news, C*I*A website (https://cosmicintelligenceagency.com/agent-777-nadiamierau/) and Astro-Vision e-book (https://www.amazon.com/Astro-Vision-beyond-Cosmic-Intelligence-ebook/dp/B083CTK4G8/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1579492611&refinements=p_27%3ACosmic+Intelligence+Agency&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Cosmic+Intelligence+Agency), OPA Magazine (https://www.opaastrology.org/CAMarch2019Equinox.pdf), Dell Horoscope (https://www.magzter.com/US/Penny-Publications,-LLC/Dell-Horoscope/Science/324349) and more. Nadia has substantial experience in writing astrology predictions for newspapers as well as presenting them live on radio. Nadia has been interviewed on various media channels, like TV, radio and Youtube. She is an agent 777 at Cosmic Intelligence Agency (C*I*A (https://cosmicintelligenceagency.com/)), a former PR director for NCGR (National Council for Geocosmic Research).

This month's prompt concerns the idea of the “warrior philosopher” (seemed appropriate in these times)--that is someone whose understanding of violence, power, and justice is forged through direct experience of war. We are looking at Major General Smedley D. Butler, a highly decorated U.S. Marine raised in a Quaker (pacifist) tradition who later became a prominent critic of American militarism (there is a wonderful biography of Gen. Butler called "Gangsters of Capitalism") Butler's argument in *War Is a Racket* (1935): that many U.S. interventions were driven less by national defense than by corporate and financial interests, with Butler portraying himself as an enforcer for business and Wall Street. We can consider the moral ambiguity of his insider critique—whether complicity strengthens or undermines credibility and also consider some of the concrete reforms he proposed (e.g., “conscript” capital before soldiers, restrict the military to coastal defense, and have only those who fight decide on war). Butler’s life arc clearly changed from pacifist upbringing to warrior to antiwar crusader—and asks whether true understanding of peace requires firsthand knowledge of war, and what that implies about the cost of suffering. So do we need to suffer to understand suffering? Do we have to experience war to appreciate peace? As one more question: in the movie "A Few Good Men" Jack Nicholson's character says that "you have the luxury of not knowing what I know" so do most of us go through life oblivious to real violence and suffering? See you at Drunken Philosophy!

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