The Community
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Tyr66 on October 27, 2018, 04:35:01 AM
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Some information of the country of Voltaire who make the front page and provoke many heated debates on the TV screens.
1. Assault on a bus https://twitter.com/hany91egy/status/1054855736247967744/video/1 (https://twitter.com/hany91egy/status/1054855736247967744/video/1)
Bamako? Abidjan ? Madagascar ? not at all gentlemen , we are in Paris. No joke.
2. a French student "from diversity" as it is allowed to be said, threatening a teacher to register his presence in class while he was absent. We can't say black , a prohibited word because of racism connotation. Incredible.
The weapon was fake but the picture is disastrous for the national education system.
a great scandal , here.
(https://cdni.rt.com/french/images/2018.10/article/5bcaf56f488c7be44d8b4567.jpg)
Notion of civil war has never been so much talked about lately. Enough is enough .
Here we are , Cold weather is arrived this morning ! 5°c , but no rain .
Have a great week end !
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I hope some kind of punishment was given to this student.
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This unrecoverable thug is under arrest . I'm sure he 'll meet some policemen very soon for another offense. sad observation.
a Hashtag was created as a result of this video taken on a cell phone that has been banned in schools since early September. Already hundreds of testimonies from other teachers who have been victims of violence have been posted.
Kudos to our last 30 years politic caste . Who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind.
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A couple of years ago a student at a Bridgeport Connecticut university accused two football players of rape. She later confessed that sex was consensual and she lied to protect her relationship with her boyfriend. The football players were kicked out of school but never asked to return. They are currently suing the school and the woman.
IT's a stupid bitch like this that takes away credibility from the #metoo movement and any other woman who has been sexually assaulted. Not to mention ruining someone's life in the process. Pisses me off.
Tawana Brawley anyone?
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^^^^^^
This is precisely why it is important to require evidence, rather than to just take someone's word. I hope the 2 football players are awarded a substantial amount.
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I hope the 2 football players are awarded a substantial amount.
Because money makes everything alright again :)
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A couple of years ago a student at a Bridgeport Connecticut university accused two football players of rape. She later confessed that sex was consensual and she lied to protect her relationship with her boyfriend. The football players were kicked out of school but never asked to return. They are currently suing the school and the woman.
IT's a stupid bitch like this that takes away credibility from the #metoo movement and any other woman who has been sexually assaulted. Not to mention ruining someone's life in the process. Pisses me off.
Tawana Brawley anyone?
Yes the infamous Tawany Brawley, and Al Sharpton, I remember that Bogblast.
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^^^^^^
This is precisely why it is important to require evidence, rather than to just take someone's word. I hope the 2 football players are awarded a substantial amount.
They didn’t need physical evidence to lock up Bill Cosby.
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I hope the 2 football players are awarded a substantial amount.
Because money makes everything alright again :)
No, but what else can you do to help people that have been wrongly accused and had their lives messed up?
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I hope the 2 football players are awarded a substantial amount.
Because money makes everything alright again :)
No, but what else can you do to help people that have been wrongly accused and had their lives messed up?
I agree Typhon, the money is deserved. But getting the woman and the school to admit they fucked up would also generate some satisfaction.
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A couple of years ago a student at a Bridgeport Connecticut university accused two football players of rape. She later confessed that sex was consensual and she lied to protect her relationship with her boyfriend. The football players were kicked out of school but never asked to return. They are currently suing the school and the woman.
IT's a stupid bitch like this that takes away credibility from the #metoo movement and any other woman who has been sexually assaulted. Not to mention ruining someone's life in the process. Pisses me off.
Tawana Brawley anyone?
Yes the infamous Tawany Brawley, and Al Sharpton, I remember that Bogblast.
For those who don't remember, this was a very ugly time:
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Not very local but it deserves to be said :
fact: sun creams kill corals. Palau Islands, Micronesia, will ban the use of these creams on beaches in 2020 to save their natural heritage. Very brave .
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Not very local but it deserves to be said :
fact: sun creams kill corals. Palau Islands, Micronesia, will ban the use of these creams on beaches in 2020 to save their natural heritage. Very brave .
That is very interesting...BUT what will happen then when people will get skin cancer from sunburns? One would imagine that could be a multimillion dollar law suit just waiting to happen.
I would like to see some numbers on how and with what kind of quantities the use of sun blocks does it take to actually have an effect on corals.
I'm thinking this is anything but a good thing...especially considering the already increased ammounts of skin cancers out there and especially on a tropical island where sun is around all the time...what's their solution then? Stay in during the daylight hours?
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That is a very bold move indeed. Australia is the skin cancer capital of the world, not in a million years would they ever consider doing something like that. I mean we love our coral reefs and all and do a lot to protect and preserve them but not to the detriment of people dying from skin cancers over it
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I fully understand the drama of skin cancer, although every year public media campaigns warn of the danger of the sun, beaches are overcrowded all summer.
my opinion: if tourism means going hundreds of miles by plane to go to tropical beaches just to make the lizard all day and turn every half hour covered with a layer of cream, just to make beautiful pictures to show friends and family once back home, not at all my thing.
on the other hand, to travel while raising the head and to open the eyes, to respect and to discover the local environment., entirely agree. I 'm naive to believe that these heavenly places are not just about staying on the beaches all day long especially during the hottest hours.
Slow death of corals can't be justified by the absolute necessity of having a pretty skin browned by the sun, whatever the consequences.
The maintenance and rescue of biodiversity is far above our futile appearances.
I classify this statement about corals almost at the same level as the disappearance of the rhinoceros in favor of difficulties of erection of some men from a certain part of the world or the massacre of hundreds of sharks to which the fins are sliced and shortly after rejected into the sea mutilated but alive, only to make soups.
again, just my opinion. 8)
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Well I wasn't speaking just about turism though...but the actual population of the island.
Skin cancer isn't just for tourists you know... ;)
This is again one of those things where I cannot find any justification for the "environmentalism"...They are putting a small potential threat to the coral ahead of human well being, which is pretty much totally insane.
And there are far greater threats to the corals than one small island using sun block.
And I'm sure in few years when there is gonna be a spike on the skin cancer statistics people are going "Hey what's this now? How did this happen?!"
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@Tyr66 - you are absolutely right about the rhino horns. There is zero evidence that the consumption of the powder produced from them, helps humans in any way.
@BOGBLAST - thanks for reminding everyone that Al Sharpton is an A-hole with a capital A. Also, the legendary show "Law & Order" once did an episode in its first season using that case as a bases for the story.
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Funny I remarked on Bill Cosby and no one seems to comment, there was no physical evidence there, it happened years ago and basically just women coming forward accusing Bill without physical evidence.
No one cares?
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Funny I remarked on Bill Cosby and no one seems to comment, there was no physical evidence there, it happened years ago and basically just women coming forward accusing Bill without physical evidence.
No one cares?
Well I think the thing about Cosby's case was that there were so many women coming forward...also there seemed to have been some other witnesses too. I think the burden of proof was met even without any concrete evidence....hard to say as I did not really follow the case.
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Not very local but it deserves to be said :
fact: sun creams kill corals. Palau Islands, Micronesia, will ban the use of these creams on beaches in 2020 to save their natural heritage. Very brave .
And what "think tank" or university did this study? This kind of thing reminds me of the food warnings: don't consume eggs, coffee or red wine!!! Next week they have nutritional benefits.
I'm sure if you started dumping 55 gallon drums of sunscreen on the reefs sure, the coral will die. But the amount that gets into the water from swimmers must be miniscule. A lot of sunscreens claim to be waterproof as well.
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A lot of sunscreens claim to be waterproof as well.
That's what I was thinking. :) I've never been much of a beach goer, so I'm no expert, but I thought most sunscreens were waterproof. Otherwise, every time you take a dip you would have to apply it all over again. ???
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Funny I remarked on Bill Cosby and no one seems to comment, there was no physical evidence there, it happened years ago and basically just women coming forward accusing Bill without physical evidence.
No one cares?
Well I think the thing about Cosby's case was that there were so many women coming forward...also there seemed to have been some other witnesses too. I think the burden of proof was met even without any concrete evidence....hard to say as I did not really follow the case.
The guy is filthy rich of course there’s going to be a lot of women coming out of the woodwork.
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Funny I remarked on Bill Cosby and no one seems to comment, there was no physical evidence there, it happened years ago and basically just women coming forward accusing Bill without physical evidence.
No one cares?
Well I think the thing about Cosby's case was that there were so many women coming forward...also there seemed to have been some other witnesses too. I think the burden of proof was met even without any concrete evidence....hard to say as I did not really follow the case.
The guy is filthy rich of course there’s going to be a lot of women coming out of the woodwork.
Yeah, just like Jimmy Savile... :doh:
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Not very local but it deserves to be said :
fact: sun creams kill corals. Palau Islands, Micronesia, will ban the use of these creams on beaches in 2020 to save their natural heritage. Very brave .
And what "think tank" or university did this study? This kind of thing reminds me of the food warnings: don't consume eggs, coffee or red wine!!! Next week they have nutritional benefits.
I'm sure if you started dumping 55 gallon drums of sunscreen on the reefs sure, the coral will die. But the amount that gets into the water from swimmers must be miniscule. A lot of sunscreens claim to be waterproof as well.
Everything is a matter of quantity. But red wine is pure shit. Be careful not to overuse eggs and coffee, for obvious reasons of cholesterol and excitants.
"In Hawaii, more than half of the coral reefs laundered between 2014 and 2015. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the nine million tourists who visit the archipelago each year, dump nearly 6,000 tons of sunscreen into the sea. The governor, David Ige, reacted. He signed, on July 3, a law prohibiting the sale of sunscreens containing chemicals likely to weaken the corals.
By 2021, it will no longer be possible to swim in the Hawaiian sea after putting sunscreen. "This new law will ban at least 70% of sunscreens currently on the market," reports the scientific journal Chemistry World.
Several studies, notably that of 2015, have shown that sunscreen is, in addition to global warming, one of the causes of the death of a certain coral reef. Oxybenzone, used in over 3,500 solar products worldwide, is one of the components of sunscreen. It has the effect of protecting us from ultraviolet rays. But it is also the main poisonous agent that attacks the corals.
It causes morphological deformation of coral larvae, damages their DNA and acts as an endocrine disruptor. Consequence: the coral locks itself in its own skeleton and ends up dying. And most of the time, when the corals suffer, they lose their color and become white: this is the phenomenon of coral bleaching."
from a France Inter article .
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Funny I remarked on Bill Cosby and no one seems to comment, there was no physical evidence there, it happened years ago and basically just women coming forward accusing Bill without physical evidence.
No one cares?
Well I think the thing about Cosby's case was that there were so many women coming forward...also there seemed to have been some other witnesses too. I think the burden of proof was met even without any concrete evidence....hard to say as I did not really follow the case.
The guy is filthy rich of course there’s going to be a lot of women coming out of the woodwork.
Yeah, just like Jimmy Savile... :doh:
I don’t think you can compare Savile to Cosby.
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Funny I remarked on Bill Cosby and no one seems to comment, there was no physical evidence there, it happened years ago and basically just women coming forward accusing Bill without physical evidence.
No one cares?
Well I think the thing about Cosby's case was that there were so many women coming forward...also there seemed to have been some other witnesses too. I think the burden of proof was met even without any concrete evidence....hard to say as I did not really follow the case.
The guy is filthy rich of course there’s going to be a lot of women coming out of the woodwork.
Yeah, just like Jimmy Savile... :doh:
I don’t think you can compare Savile to Cosby.
By your reasoning Savile is innocent too...
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Too many Cosby stories with the same M.O. Drug them then rape them. Dirtbag. I'm sure Harvey Weinstein is a model citizen too. (Insert vomit emoji here, couldn't find it)
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Funny I remarked on Bill Cosby and no one seems to comment, there was no physical evidence there, it happened years ago and basically just women coming forward accusing Bill without physical evidence.
No one cares?
Well I think the thing about Cosby's case was that there were so many women coming forward...also there seemed to have been some other witnesses too. I think the burden of proof was met even without any concrete evidence....hard to say as I did not really follow the case.
The guy is filthy rich of course there’s going to be a lot of women coming out of the woodwork.
Yeah, just like Jimmy Savile... :doh:
I don’t think you can compare Savile to Cosby.
By your reasoning Savile is innocent too...
of course not Billy, just that the lack of physical evidence and going by several people’s testimonies is kind of dangerous.
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Funny I remarked on Bill Cosby and no one seems to comment, there was no physical evidence there, it happened years ago and basically just women coming forward accusing Bill without physical evidence.
No one cares?
Well I think the thing about Cosby's case was that there were so many women coming forward...also there seemed to have been some other witnesses too. I think the burden of proof was met even without any concrete evidence....hard to say as I did not really follow the case.
The guy is filthy rich of course there’s going to be a lot of women coming out of the woodwork.
Yeah, just like Jimmy Savile... :doh:
I don’t think you can compare Savile to Cosby.
By your reasoning Savile is innocent too...
of course not Billy, just that the lack of physical evidence and going by several people’s testimonies is kind of dangerous.
That is what happened in the Savile case..
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Funny I remarked on Bill Cosby and no one seems to comment, there was no physical evidence there, it happened years ago and basically just women coming forward accusing Bill without physical evidence.
No one cares?
Well I think the thing about Cosby's case was that there were so many women coming forward...also there seemed to have been some other witnesses too. I think the burden of proof was met even without any concrete evidence....hard to say as I did not really follow the case.
The guy is filthy rich of course there’s going to be a lot of women coming out of the woodwork.
Yeah, just like Jimmy Savile... :doh:
I don’t think you can compare Savile to Cosby.
By your reasoning Savile is innocent too...
of course not Billy, just that the lack of physical evidence and going by several people’s testimonies is kind of dangerous.
That is what happened in the Savile case..
Sorry Billy I’m not too familiar with the Savile case, I know the guy was a creep of some sort and into necrophilia and a supposed devout Catholic who even got papal awards, I’d have to read about it.
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Too many Cosby stories with the same M.O. Drug them then rape them. Dirtbag. I'm sure Harvey Weinstein is a model citizen too. (Insert vomit emoji here, couldn't find it)
Weinstein may have had a casting couch, but it appears now that he did not rape anybody.
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Too many Cosby stories with the same M.O. Drug them then rape them. Dirtbag. I'm sure Harvey Weinstein is a model citizen too. (Insert vomit emoji here, couldn't find it)
Weinstein may have had a casting couch, but it appears now that he did not rape anybody.
Most of those women were willing.
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No, they weren't willing. They were given an unethical choice by a person in power. That's sexual harassment, textbook case. I've gone through a sexual harassment case as a victim and it's no picnic. The management tends to side with the manager and the EEOC can't do much if it's a he-said, she-said situation. They can stipulate that transfer be offered so the manager-employee relationship is no longer direct and that the company show that it's doing due diligence in preventing anything happening again... but the bottom line is that getting out from under that manager is only a temporary fix. My rep at that firm was zero after that and I pretty much started looking for another job the day I filed the EEOC complaint.
The manager got to keep working there.
I've seen cases where teachers who got sexually involved with their students got moved from the high school to a middle school campus, so long as they stayed tight with management. Bad cases had to apply to other districts, but the one they left was happy to "pass the trash" with a positive personnel record.
This sort of thing happens more often than gets reported. If the harasser/rapist can keep the victim from reporting for a few days and the rape itself did not involve a struggle, then there's no evidence and the harasser/rapist gets to walk free.
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So Zzzptm, you don’t think any of those women came on to Harvey and offered him sex for a role or to further their career? I don’t like that slimeball by the way, not saying all the women were willing, I feel for the ones who weren’t.
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So Zzzptm, you don’t think any of those women came on to Harvey and offered him sex for a role or to further their career? I don’t like that slimeball by the way, not saying all the women were willing, I feel for the ones who weren’t.
The ones complaining about him? No.
The ones that aren't complaining? Maybe they didn't care, and that's their business. All in all, though, he should have been ethical in his choices. Just because someone is offering it up doesn't mean accepting it is the right thing to do.
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Hollywood had a casting couch long before Weinstein.
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Hollywood had a casting couch long before Weinstein.
Sad but true. It's likely there are other, less famous producers, that pretty much carry on doing as they've done largely because they're not bigshots. No media cares about their story.
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What's the point of making it big in Holy Wood if you can't benefit? :P Anyone wanna join me on my casting couch? :smug:
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So Zzzptm, you don’t think any of those women came on to Harvey and offered him sex for a role or to further their career? I don’t like that slimeball by the way, not saying all the women were willing, I feel for the ones who weren’t.
The ones complaining about him? No.
The ones that aren't complaining? Maybe they didn't care, and that's their business. All in all, though, he should have been ethical in his choices. Just because someone is offering it up doesn't mean accepting it is the right thing to do.
I agree he should’ve been ethical.
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So Zzzptm, you don’t think any of those women came on to Harvey and offered him sex for a role or to further their career? I don’t like that slimeball by the way, not saying all the women were willing, I feel for the ones who weren’t.
The ones complaining about him? No.
The ones that aren't complaining? Maybe they didn't care, and that's their business. All in all, though, he should have been ethical in his choices. Just because someone is offering it up doesn't mean accepting it is the right thing to do.
I agree he should’ve been ethical.
Agreed, but most of the time, being unethical is not against the law.
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So we've had a suspected terrorist incident in the heart of the city in Melbourne late this afternoon. A Somalian born man known to counter terrorism agencies in Australia set fire to a car packed full of gas cylinders and then proceeded to stab innocent bystanders in the head. Thankfully Police were on the scene within seconds and shot him before he could inflict maximum carnage. At the moment one bystander was killed and two serously injured. The attacker has also died from his gunshot wound.
Scary shit!
Video of the incident
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-09/bourke-st-attacker-shot-after-car-fire-stabbings-one-dead/10483608
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So we've had a suspected terrorist incident in the heart of the city in Melbourne late this afternoon. A Somalian born man known to counter terrorism agencies in Australia set fire to a car packed full of gas cylinders and then proceeded to stab innocent bystanders in the head. Thankfully Police were on the scene within seconds and shot him before he could inflict maximum carnage. At the moment one bystander was killed and two serously injured. The attacker has also died from his gunshot wound.
Scary shit!
Video of the incident
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-09/bourke-st-attacker-shot-after-car-fire-stabbings-one-dead/10483608
Somali? I bet on a Muslim with a brain liquefied by his pseudo-religion.Pure obscurantism. This plague needs to be eradicated asap. It spreads at the speed of a boeing crossing the oceans.
Support to our Australian friends !! stay strong :rockon:
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Thank Tyr. Just thankful we have such tight gun control laws in our country. Can only imagine how much worse it could've been if this nutter had access to high powered guns, or any sort of guns for that matter
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So sorry to hear Jack. Too many of these loonies running around. He got what he deserved.
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Thanks Bog. The innocent bystander that was killed was the much loved and very well known 74yo owner of a very iconic restaurant/cafe in the city. Was still working 70 hours at the restaurant at the time of his death. He was killed actually going to aid of the attacker who had fled his vehicle after he set it on fire and was stabbed multiple times in the neck.
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^^ so sad really.
We learn that the local police said he was known to the security services for three years and that he had arrived as a child in Australia with his family. His Australian passport was revoked in 2015 because he was suspected of wanting to travel to Syria to join al quaeda. In addition, his brother will be tried next year on charges of wanting to obtain a firearm to commit a terrorist act. So respectful family.
We learn here every time one of these zombies comets or try to commit attacks as well.
Infuriating but what must we do to stop this madness ?
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(https://photos.lci.fr/images/613/344/periph-giletsjaunes-159e3a-0@1x.jpeg)
Operation "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) all over the country today. The whole population protests against the increase of taxes. The drop that has overtaken the vase is the increase in the price of gasoline.
The social movement is born through social networks, no political party has exclusivity. The government and Macron are very worried because they have no interlocutor.
Already a dead among the protesters. a woman killed by a car during a traffic jam.
Two days earlier, the president was interviewed aboard the "Charles De Gaulle" nuclear aircraft carrier, among the Rafales aircrafts carrying atomic bombs.
We have experienced better in terms of defusing social crisis.
it smells very bad for Macron.
We'll see ...
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^^^^^^
Are the taxes you are referring to, income taxes or some other tax?
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^^^^^^
Are the taxes you are referring to, income taxes or some other tax?
Value-added taxes on manufactured goods (20%), taxes on different types of fuel (more than 60% !!!!) to officially promote the ecological transition to electric vehicles (soft dreams), reductions in speed limits authorized (80 km / h instead of 90 km / h since the first of July), increases in the price of mandatory technical inspections of vehicles, projects to see the access to the city centers of the big cities become paying, the highway toll is become exorbitant, parking tolls are clearly theft. added to all this the declining pay slips except those of the shareholders of large national groups or holding companies.
Minimum old-age benefits are also impacted. Some retired people are now seeing less money than a legal migrant. Disgusting.
Nearly 200,000 people in the streets right now and more than 2,000 blockages in the whole country especially in Paris where mobs are heading to the Elysée Palace but also face the police armed with batons and tear gas bombs.
things are getting hot on non-stop info tv channels ...
(http://s1.lprs1.fr/images/2018/11/16/7944750_43e84f00-e9ba-11e8-a5dc-70b222657927-1_1000x625.jpg)
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So when do the farmers block the streets and start burning tires?
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Check out this guy's hilarious response to his state's Environmental Agency letter. :))
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It gets better...
The video messes up on a few facts, but the story really happened up in Michigan. DeVries didn't on the property, but he got served the papers. DeVries handed the papers over to the actual property owner, a man named Tvedten. He wrote the response.
So the state sends back a message saying that they *know* those were beaver dams, but that the beavers have long since left and that Tvedten was maintaining the dams himself.
Tvedten was then able to demonstrate that as the letters were going back and forth, a neighbor of his had killed the beavers, so that only recently were the dams abandoned.
It then emerged that the state had not, in fact, inspected the dams prior to sending the cease and desist order... the state dropped the case, which was good for Mr. Tvedten, as there was a $10K per day fine if he was determined to be at fault.
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No finer bureaucracy this side of Italy!
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Just proves that old saying - "Truth is stranger than fiction." :zomg:
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https://reason.com/tags/brickbats usually has some wild stories about bureaucracy going beyond the mark.
Like this one:
A couple's plans to convert an empty building in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood into a home for their family has met resistance from some neighbors. The couple wants to add a garage with wheelchair ramp and elevator for their daughter, who uses a wheelchair. But some neighbors will oppose the plans before the zoning appeals board, saying the garage is not in keeping with the historic nature of the neighborhood. "I understand that the people who purchased the house have a child that requires special needs," Steve Weiss, president of the Old Town Triangle Association, wrote in a letter to his alderman. "What I don't understand is why they chose to buy a house in a Landmark Zone when you have these needs. I don't mean to be heartless or uncaring but this is not the neighborhood for that. Here you conform to the rules, not the other way around."
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More serious stuff going on in France. After Macron makes a speech giving some concessions to his people, now a gunman shoots up a place in Strasbourg. Hope they catch the bastard. C:-)
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Yes, there's a question if Russia is stirring up stuff in France, now.
That's a nation that sends unmarked soldiers into neighboring countries, they'll do anything to get an advantage.
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Christmas time quite often brings the terrorist scum out of their shitholes.
I do hope they catch that little shit and make him suffer big time.
Terrorist threat level has now been raised here as well.
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This brings the John Lennon song to mind, imagine no religion.
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This brings the John Lennon song to mind, imagine no religion.
Pfft. Evil men will hijack anything in order to aggrandize themselves. Don the priest's garb and let the money roll in. Atheists in charge? Lose the priest get-up and become a judge in a Revolutionary Tribunal, where you seize the property of the guilty. Revolution over and laissez-faire capitalism in vogue? Drop the judge's robe and grab the top hat, make a fortune exploiting the workers and resources. Communists come into power? Renounce capitalism and become a party apparatchnik. Communists swept out of power by the monarchists? Jettison the red crap and become a courtier.
And so on.
And if you need something other than religion to inform your terrorism, there's nationalism, anarchism, and racism. Puerto Rican separatists in the USA had quite the run of mail bombings a while back, and racially-motivated lynchings, murders, and bombings have been a scar across the USA for over 200 years.
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More serious stuff going on in France. After Macron makes a speech giving some concessions to his people, now a gunman shoots up a place in Strasbourg. Hope they catch the bastard. C:-)
Got him! Cherif Chekatt shot dead in a shootout with French Police. May he rest in pieces.
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Good. One less scumbag in the world.
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Our little president seems awake after a month of more or less pacifist demonstrations in the whole country (again Paris is not France). The royal awakening is painful. During his laughable speech last week, he seems to be 10 years older .Good. This little king has just discovered the silent majority of the people, the one who hasn't voted for years and who has trouble living with dignity while he gives tax gifts to his banker friends and his wife replaces the dishes of the Elysee , have a new pool built for only 2 weeks at Fort Brégançon on the French Riviera.
But not sure he really understood the message. French people are not finished with this pretentious guy and his clique.
To be continued ...
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More serious stuff going on in France. After Macron makes a speech giving some concessions to his people, now a gunman shoots up a place in Strasbourg. Hope they catch the bastard. C:-)
Got him! Cherif Chekatt shot dead in a shootout with French Police. May he rest in pieces.
This monster must have died, it's done.
Now, again and again, let's see where this Islamist shit came from. Here is a picture of the father, who seems astonished that after his bad descent proclaimed loudly in the family circle that he pledged allegiance to ISIS, his degenerated son became an assassin of innocents.
(https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims3/GLOB/crop/704x353+0+22/resize/630x315!/format/jpg/quality/85/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia-mbst-pub-ue1.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2018-12%2Fc1232510-00b4-11e9-b96f-24bd55880bf9)
Really ?!?
You should also know that his brothers have a similar profile. How many other families like this in the whole country ? thousands surely.
The problem comes from there !! These parents make children but don't educate them. They say French education system is here for that ... Cool ! Here the rule is simple: a born child on the French soil and it's the jackpot ! thanx all benefits . French unbelievers, we hate you but we love your money ... and your women. Plain and simple.
It should also be known that this asshole of 29 years had a heavy judicial file, more than 27 mentions including 25 convictions, already filed 'S', aka converted islamist and presenting risks of acting out but we' re still waiting , just in case ...
Incredible.
... And during this time, the pact of Marrakech was signed without any particular problem.
However, a fake news circulates for days, knowing that this attack managed to stop the social movement in progress for 4 weeks. and if, and if ...
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^^^^ ... and another son of this exemplary father in is jail right now .
Sad era.
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Act 18 : Yesterday in Paris :
(https://remeng.rosselcdn.net/sites/default/files/dpistyles/rem_16_9_606w/node_50727/7330258/public/afp/2019/3/16/13/c00f52bcfb1962bfd56bf4919ed03c556ebd91a0.jpg?itok=7YFjxwEI)
... and in the same time , our little king :
(https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims3/GLOB/crop/768x384+0+64/resize/630x315!/format/jpg/quality/85/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia-mbst-pub-ue1.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2019-03%2F0836af10-47f2-11e9-b5fe-0fd128f57669)
As soon as the photos emerged on the Net, he returned to Paris as a dog returns to its niche.
During the November events, some said he would end up like Kennedy. I would be less and less surprised ...
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SO, eighteen weeks of "gilets jaunes" and Macron decides to say that he thinks the government needs to do more.
He sure seems to have his priorities!
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRnHDyKX_z20omxfU3K1-bel_3On53OmSR0XwztAweq6IGVaXC_)
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I read one commentator that, with the way DeGaulle centralized power in the Fifth Republic so much, street protests are just about the only way for people to get their point across.
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Terrible fire seriously damages the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. :(
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Finally some good news. ;)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/04/07/suspected-rhino-poacher-was-killed-by-an-elephant-then-eaten-by-lions-authorities-say/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.54adb67a9c36 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/04/07/suspected-rhino-poacher-was-killed-by-an-elephant-then-eaten-by-lions-authorities-say/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.54adb67a9c36)
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More serious stuff going on in France. After Macron makes a speech giving some concessions to his people, now a gunman shoots up a place in Strasbourg. Hope they catch the bastard. C:-)
Got him! Cherif Chekatt shot dead in a shootout with French Police. May he rest in pieces.
This monster must have died, it's done.
Now, again and again, let's see where this Islamist shit came from. Here is a picture of the father, who seems astonished that after his bad descent proclaimed loudly in the family circle that he pledged allegiance to ISIS, his degenerated son became an assassin of innocents.
(https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims3/GLOB/crop/704x353+0+22/resize/630x315!/format/jpg/quality/85/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia-mbst-pub-ue1.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2018-12%2Fc1232510-00b4-11e9-b96f-24bd55880bf9)
Really ?!?
You should also know that his brothers have a similar profile. How many other families like this in the whole country ? thousands surely.
The problem comes from there !! These parents make children but don't educate them. They say French education system is here for that ... Cool ! Here the rule is simple: a born child on the French soil and it's the jackpot ! thanx all benefits . French unbelievers, we hate you but we love your money ... and your women. Plain and simple.
It should also be known that this asshole of 29 years had a heavy judicial file, more than 27 mentions including 25 convictions, already filed 'S', aka converted islamist and presenting risks of acting out but we' re still waiting , just in case ...
Incredible.
... And during this time, the pact of Marrakech was signed without any particular problem.
However, a fake news circulates for days, knowing that this attack managed to stop the social movement in progress for 4 weeks. and if, and if ...
Why do you allow these children not to go to school?
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Yes, there's a question if Russia is stirring up stuff in France, now.
That's a nation that sends unmarked soldiers into neighboring countries, they'll do anything to get an advantage.
A forum member marked this for moderation, so I'll be happy to moderate my post.
First and foremost, I do want to apologize to the Russian people in and of themselves. I enjoy music, films, and television shows from that country. I have traveled there and greatly enjoyed my visits. The Tretyakov Gallery, The Russian Museum, and, of course, The Hermitage are wondrous collections of art and icons that uplift any soul that enters into those places. Indeed, the interiors of the great Orthodox cathedrals have been some of the most stunning I have seen, particularly The Church on the Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg. I enjoy speaking the Russian language. Russian painters, composers, and writers I count among my absolute favorites. Let it be known that Zzzptm is a fan of many things Russian.
Therefore, my comment above applies to the current government under Vladimir Putin. That government is not the people and neither is it the art of Russia, it is what it is - a group of men that do what they do at the head of the state. As such, yes, I am critical of both their polices and the acts of murder, terror, and criminal activity that have been traced back to the current Russian administration of Mr. Putin. It is he and his associates in government that deserve my opprobrium, not the people of Russia in general.
That would be my moderation of my own post, but I am happy to submit to the moderation of other moderators, should they deem it necessary. I bear no ill will or grudge against the person who called out my comment, and I do hope that that person continues to enjoy activity here, both in reading and in posting. If we differ politically, well, that person is welcome to join in with Charger and Typhon on political threads. :)
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Damn Z! You got reported? That’s bullshit, you’re the top Dog here, plus you posts never offend anyone, at least not that I know of.
Reporting a moderator that’s a new one for me.
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Damn Z! You got reported? That’s bullshit, you’re the top Dog here, plus you posts never offend anyone, at least not that I know of.
Reporting a moderator that’s a new one for me.
Nobody reported him just that post. Also I can understand why someone might take small offence to that post eventhough ofcourse it was a tongue in cheek kinda post.
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Damn Z! You got reported? That’s bullshit, you’re the top Dog here, plus you posts never offend anyone, at least not that I know of.
Reporting a moderator that’s a new one for me.
Nobody reported him just that post. Also I can understand why someone might take small offence to that post eventhough ofcourse it was a tongue in cheek kinda post.
Exactly, and I don't want to be above the rules. If I'm called on to moderate myself, I shall discharge my duties to the fullest of my ability.
And I like to think of myself not as a top dog, but as one of many cool cats. :)
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Damn Z! You got reported? That’s bullshit, you’re the top Dog here, plus you posts never offend anyone, at least not that I know of.
Reporting a moderator that’s a new one for me.
Nobody reported him just that post. Also I can understand why someone might take small offence to that post eventhough ofcourse it was a tongue in cheek kinda post.
Exactly, and I don't want to be above the rules. If I'm called on to moderate myself, I shall discharge my duties to the fullest of my ability.
And I like to think of myself not as a top dog, but as one of many cool cats. :)
Yeah! No top dogs here! Only cool cats! ;D
Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk
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Damn Z! You got reported? That’s bullshit, you’re the top Dog here, plus you posts never offend anyone, at least not that I know of.
Reporting a moderator that’s a new one for me.
Nobody reported him just that post. Also I can understand why someone might take small offence to that post eventhough ofcourse it was a tongue in cheek kinda post.
Exactly, and I don't want to be above the rules. If I'm called on to moderate myself, I shall discharge my duties to the fullest of my ability.
And I like to think of myself not as a top dog, but as one of many cool cats. :)
Z to me you are the Top dog and coolest of all cats, fuck that commie bastard Putin and all his commie henchmen.
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I didn't think Russia was Communist anymore. Or is that just "on paper" only? Perhaps someone who is familiar with the socio-economic system in Russia could provide some insight?
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I didn't think Russia was Communist anymore. Or is that just "on paper" only? Perhaps someone who is familiar with the socio-economic system in Russia could provide some insight?
That’s what they say, deep down he’s still a commie Vyn.
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I didn't think Russia was Communist anymore. Or is that just "on paper" only? Perhaps someone who is familiar with the socio-economic system in Russia could provide some insight?
I'd say it's more about the preservation of power at the center, regardless of the overall political/economic system. China's gone the same way, pretty much, although China still does lip service to Communist ideals.
I've been to both China and Russia and in both of those places got sent "messages" so that I knew I was being watched. Everywhere else I've been, stuff like that doesn't happen.
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I was in the local paper a few days ago.
From the Times Colonist
Less than an hour after FARM opened its doors, Brad Allen stood at the polished marble countertop and spoke to a “budtender” about the various cannabis strains, The dried product, which ranges in price from $8.99 to $15.99 per gram, can be selected using a large touch screen embedded in the counter, and CBD oils are visible through a lit display case. Allen, who uses cannabis to treat irritable bowel syndrome, said he was a FARM customer before the store shuttered and is happy to be able to return and buy cannabis legally.
Allen said it’s frustrating it took six months after legalization for Victoria to finally get a licensed cannabis store.
“I don’t understand that, really. I think [the regulators] were a little hard on them,” he said.
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^^^^^^
Nice job, Thel ! 8)
If there is anyone in Victoria that is an expert on this subject, it's you. :beerbang:
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^^^^^^
Nice job, Thel ! 8)
If there is anyone in Victoria that is an expert on this subject, it's you. :beerbang:
Thanks Ty!!! :wootwoot:
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Meanwhile, back in Dallas, I can't read the website dallasnews.com from my hotel in England because The Dallas Morning News isn't GDPR-compliant yet.
:facepalm1:
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A great moment during the July 14th parade on the champs-Elysées this morning !
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^^^^^^
That looked cool. 8)
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I was just wondering if the dam in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire that is in danger of collapse has made it to news broadcasts beyond the shores of Britain?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-49217887 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-49217887)
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Wow! I had not heard of this. Some people are being given limited access to their homes. I hope this does not effect you, KDC.
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Wow! I had not heard of this. Some people are being given limited access to their homes. I hope this does not effect you, KDC.
No I'm quite a long way from this. But it's been the top story for the last couple of days and now there's a bad weather warning for the area for the next day or two which won't help. That's when they should be deny access to their homes, at the moment it is relatively safe, so control access but it shouldn't be too limited.
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That story actually aired on my local news this morning.
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Yeah it was a pretty big story on the newspaper here yesterday.
Dam collapses are pretty rare.
I do hope they can salvage it, but it is quite a task regardless.
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I remember when I was a kid, back in the 80s, there was a dam that collapsed near Salt Lake City. The people there were able to line streets with sandbags in time and the waters passed through without harm.
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It's looking like the threat is subsiding somewhat. They have managed to drain some of the water away, and if they can do another 3 meters (maybe a further days pumping) then engineers can safely get to look more closely at the damaged section and determine if it can be repaired or if a complete rebuild is required. The dam is almost 200 years old and that method of construction has not been used in many decades.
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Given enough time and materials, engineers can do some AMAZING things.
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So, what the heck is going on in France? I've been seeing bits and pieces of news this past week, but haven't had time to get into it much.
Something to do with the pension system there, and there are protests, unions striking, infrastructure shut down. It sounds horrible.
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/paris-protests-retirement-jilet-jaunes-yellow-vests-a9237201.html
Raising of retirement age, restructuring and combining various plans. Could lead to lots more issues getting combined, the way that protests in Chile over raising metro fares are now leading to calls for complete revision of the constitution, which many see as having too much of Pinochet's legacy in it to be what a free and fair nation deserves.
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Thanks Z. I hope the folks in France can get this worked out correctly - whatever correctly looks like.
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The legendary Ozzy Man’s review of our fuckwit prime minister and his dipshit government.
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^^^^^^
Wow! Pretty ridiculous how your PM is that out of touch, Jack. I'm sure he'll be gone by the next election, whenever that is.
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PJW's take:
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Rules for political leaders:
1. Is there a crisis going on? If yes, stay on the job. If no, take a vacation.
2. Did a crisis start while you were on vacation? If yes, go back to work ASAP. If no, continue vacationing.
3. Did your vacation result in a crisis? Hey, that's on you, dude. Shouldn't have been "hiking" with the Argentinian lady...
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The smoke haze from the bush fires blanketing Melbourne and the state of Victoria today. Currently rated as the worst air quality in the world.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/face-mask-stock-dwindles-as-smoke-haze-engulfs-city/news-story/35a97293f4749596da5f9585d3986f54
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^ Worse than Beijing... yeah, reset your aircon to recirculate air, keep that smoke out of your house.
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Talk about too close for comfort. The two swimmers were totally oblivious!
https://7news.com.au/news/animals/shark-expert-says-beach-encounters-are-far-more-common-than-you-may-think-c-649199
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Austraila: the continent that tries to kill you!
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https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/things-in-australia-that-will-kill-you-animals-that-will-try-to-kill-you
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(https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/1*EgaFGqoGocBNWsWxEb0N-A.jpeg)
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Well....YIKES.
https://loudwire.com/metal-album-cover-artist-jean-pascal-fournier-accused-disemboweling-father/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=newsletter_5288477 (https://loudwire.com/metal-album-cover-artist-jean-pascal-fournier-accused-disemboweling-father/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=newsletter_5288477)
I would have put money down he was a black metal album artist but no...
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Yeeeeeeesh, that was pretty grim, even just the URL...
OK, in Dallas (my town), we have a temporary hospital in our convention center that we expect to need to use in 2 weeks. Local hospitals are at 50% capacity and we are yet to peak with COVID-19 cases. Now, the state governor is saying if we're not using it right now, we don't need the emergency set-up and the aid that goes with it.
:facepalm2:
Thankfully, his decision isn't final and I think sense will prevail in the coming back-and-forth over the situation...
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Nantes Cathedral in Fire this morning .
And this time , 3 fire starts clearly identified. The huge organ went up in smoke. Hoping that we do not close the case by talking about a badly extinguished cigarette as in Paris last year. However, they still have not explained how the fire broke out in one of the towers when the site covered only the roof of Notre Dame ... may be another cigarette ?
(https://images.midilibre.fr/api/v1/images/view/5f12a5ea8fe56f39b7229104/large/image.jpg?v=1)
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Oh no....
Those old cathedrals are so damn pretty...hate seeing them on fire...especially one of questionable origin...
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Everybody stop smoking, make fire investigation less frequent...
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Nantes Cathedral in Fire this morning .
And this time , 3 fire starts clearly identified. The huge organ went up in smoke. Hoping that we do not close the case by talking about a badly extinguished cigarette as in Paris last year. However, they still have not explained how the fire broke out in one of the towers when the site covered only the roof of Notre Dame ... may be another cigarette ?
(https://images.midilibre.fr/api/v1/images/view/5f12a5ea8fe56f39b7229104/large/image.jpg?v=1)
the Police investigation was carried out very quickly. The first suspect arrested two days after the events has just confessed. He's a refugee from Rwanda that the diocese had taken under its protection and had given him the keys to the cathedral. He lit 3 fires: the first to set fire to the large organ, the jewel of the building, another under the small organ and the last in an electric installation. The man's lawyer affirms that he regrets his gesture and that he didn't think that his act would become so widespread in the country.
One question: do these people have brains ?
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An unprecedented wave of violence has swept through the country since deconfinement.
The first took place in Bayonne where a 58-year-old bus driver died after being beaten to death by two men ,22 and 23, already unfavorably known by the police services. Why ? He had just asked them to show their tickets before getting on the bus and to wear a mask that has become mandatory on public transport.
The second took place in Nice where so-called "young people from underprivileged neighborhoods" exchanged shots from automatic weapons with real bullets in the street during afternoon, controlling drug trafficking being the motivation.
Yesterday, a young lifeguard in Fréjus (Côte d'Azur) who controlled the swimmers of an aquatic center was beaten by young people (always the same) whom he had asked to make less noise and to respect the tranquility of other people around them. They waited for him at the end of his work on the parking of the establishment. An important detail: they were 8 against 1.
The most serious and horrible is this young 23-year-old nurse who was killed in Lyon after being hit by a car and dragged for 800 meters. The body lost one leg and its head during the events.
She just took part in an altercation in the street linked to an argument between occupants of a car which killed a dog from a passerby. Friends of these so "respectable" young ladies quickly arrived to join in the argument in another car which hit the unfortunate young woman.
Total indignation in the country, especially since the main national media waited almost 2 days before talking about it officially. Social networks and RT channel were the first to talk about it. Faced with the insistent comments on the Net, they could not back down. The new Minister of the Interior has finally reacted and the new Prime Minister traveled to Nice yesterday with 3 other ministers.
This ultra-violence starting from nothing can not last.
Never seen before. Something is happening in the country right now. I have never seen the country so fractured: racial demands of blacks, deboulloning of statues, demonstrations prohibited but nevertheless maintained (which led to the deployment of another banner by an ultra-nationalist movement denouncing the rise of anti-white racism in the country), galloping indigenousism, Islamic proselitism insinuating itself into the associative and political organisations, acts of violence on the rise.
Now everyone agrees: words, wreaths of flowers, candles are good, actions are better.
The government is forced to respond. The next presidential elections take place in May 2022, in clear the day after tomorrow. The election campaign will start at the end of 2021, or in a little over a year. It's very short.
The return to school in September promises to be catastrophic in terms of unemployment due to business closures linked to the Covid-19 crisis. Macron will not be able to rectify the country before this date. The only aspect on which it can act is security. If he doesn't, the Le Pen family will pass this time. I don't hope that at all.
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The incomprehensibility of the violent motivations those people have automatically makes them seem less than human. Outrageous and sad at the same time.
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Sounds like some vigilantes are needed to take matters into their own hands and dispose of the garbage on the streets that senior authorities aren’t doing.
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Sounds like some vigilantes are needed to take matters into their own hands and dispose of the garbage on the streets that senior authorities aren’t doing.
:yes: I have seen a few examples of that lately, here in the U.S.
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Speaking of local news...
... Googling on "Florida Man" never fails to deliver on a dumb criminal story:
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida/2020/07/28/florida-man-buys-lamborghini-with-39-million-from-federal-coronavirus-loans-prosecutors-say/
:facepalm2:
:fail2:
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^^^
Googling "Florida Man Tries" brings up plenty of wierd and wonderful stories, or was that waht you meant?
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Yes. Never fails to entertain how the Florida Man fails!
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An unprecedented wave of violence has swept through the country since deconfinement.
The first took place in Bayonne where a 58-year-old bus driver died after being beaten to death by two men ,22 and 23, already unfavorably known by the police services. Why ? He had just asked them to show their tickets before getting on the bus and to wear a mask that has become mandatory on public transport.
The second took place in Nice where so-called "young people from underprivileged neighborhoods" exchanged shots from automatic weapons with real bullets in the street during afternoon, controlling drug trafficking being the motivation.
Yesterday, a young lifeguard in Fréjus (Côte d'Azur) who controlled the swimmers of an aquatic center was beaten by young people (always the same) whom he had asked to make less noise and to respect the tranquility of other people around them. They waited for him at the end of his work on the parking of the establishment. An important detail: they were 8 against 1.
The most serious and horrible is this young 23-year-old nurse who was killed in Lyon after being hit by a car and dragged for 800 meters. The body lost one leg and its head during the events.
She just took part in an altercation in the street linked to an argument between occupants of a car which killed a dog from a passerby. Friends of these so "respectable" young ladies quickly arrived to join in the argument in another car which hit the unfortunate young woman.
This kind of stuff just makes me sick.
It's always one against many in these situations. Ofcourse because the thugs alone would be nothing but little pussies.
I'm not one to advocate violence against violence but honestly those kinds of little shits need to be beaten...badly.
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A Massachusetts fire department has refused its city’s orders to take down its police-supporting “Thin Blue Line” flags.
The firemen in Hingham, a suburb of Boston, have told officials to pound sand and that they will not be removing the flags from their firetrucks. The firefighters were told last week by their chief, Steve Murphy, to remove the flags, but the men are in open revolt over the order, The Patriot Ledger reported.
The chief claimed that the flags violate the city’s rules against police and firefighters displaying political emblems on their uniforms, equipment, and vehicles.
A recent meeting of the town showed many residents in support of the firemen.
Hingham selectmen addressed the issue at their Tuesday night meeting, just hours after more than 100 people stood in front of town hall in reaction to the order. Dozens of protestors against the order waved American flags and held signs that said “We support and pray for police.” Those who supported the order held signs that said “Black Lives Matter” and “Justice for Breonna Taylor.”
“The flags flown by Hingham firefighters were originally purchased to show support for the police department after the 2018 killing of Weymouth police Sgt. Michael Chesna, but have recently ‘taken a different political meaning,’ the chiefs said. Firefighters have refused to remove the flag,” the Ledger added.
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^^^
That's just awesome!
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More power to 'em. The flags haven't taken on new meaning, other people are desperately trying to make them have a new meaning.
And, really, it should never have been an issue at all. Sadly there are groups who are pushing to divide people, force them to choose "sides", worry about things that are of no import. Well, no import except to the groups pushing the nonsense. Fuck them dumbass stupid motherfuckers.
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^Agree. Why and how the fuck people can be offended by this is beyond me and why are people so quick to cave to the woke left?
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Meanwhile, back in Florida...
https://miami.cbslocal.com/2020/07/30/florida-man-rolex-bad-check-printed-home-computer/
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It seems like Florida has turned into to gonorrhea-infected appendage of the USA.
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It seems like Florida has turned into to gonorrhea-infected appendage of the USA.
:rofl:
Wisely, I went into this thread without consuming liquids as I read the posts.
My keyboard lives another day.
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Idiots complaining about the Confederate flag don't even know what it looks like.
On a side note: the Norwegian guy made me think of what Billy might have looked like as an older man.
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Oh lord the stupidity of people just never ceases to amaze me...
Everyone should start putting Norwegian flags up now just to piss these idiots off! :D
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Guy picks the wrong store to rob here in Boston suburb. C:-)
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^ That same Florida Man that tried to buy the Rolexes actually got away with buying a Porsche with his homebrew checks!
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/man-buys-porsche-with-check-printed-from-home-computer
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Quite the bang in Beirut just a while ago!
https://twitter.com/i/status/1290677258747883520 (https://twitter.com/i/status/1290677258747883520)
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Holy crap!
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This last Sunday afternoon, a man with his 2 children was drying clothes in a neighborhood laundromat. near Paris . There follows an altercation with a man who enters the room with his wife. Seeing him approaching him, the man asks him to wear a mask, as required by the instructions posted at the entrance. The angry man leaves the place and after 10 minutes he returns with "friends".
the following was captured by surveillance cameras:
Speechless. I confirm the year , 2020 . Not the Middle Age .
According to several comments, these savages appear to be Pakistanis. One of them was reportedly arrested this evening. To be continued ...
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Good lord....
Fucking animals.
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Disgusting, if not unsurprising. Same thing happening here in some parts of the USA...people fighting, sometimes dying, over a mask.
Because there's not enough shit to worry about already, these drooling neanderthals just have to add-on with their violence.
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I couldn’t bring myself to watch it but did he die?
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I didn't watch it either Jack. Between the still image in the video and Tyr's description, I learned all I needed to know. Watching it would just piss me off to no end about something I can't do anything about.
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I didn't watch it either Jack. Between the still image in the video and Tyr's description, I learned all I needed to know. Watching it would just piss me off to no end about something I can't do anything about.
Same
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I couldn’t bring myself to watch it but did he die?
No. In fact, when one guy continued to strike the man on the ground, another pulled him away. I was surprised to see this because the guy that stopped it also had a stick to hit the man. I know what you guys mean it being tough to watch sometimes, but this was not as bad, by today's standards, that is.
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We had a similar thing happen here yesterday. A young female police officer fresh out of the academy asked a deadbeat junkie slag why she wasn’t wearing a mask and was set upon by the deadbeat junkie slag who proceed to repeatedly smash the young police officers head into the concrete gutter and pulled a big chunk of her hair out. Thankfully she was apprehended arrested and charged but was given bail because of no priors >:(
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Ugh...
These totally senseless acts of violence make my stomach crawl...Honestly these kinds of people should have a kneeling in front of Lucille and I wouldn't shed a tear.
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Ugh...
These totally senseless acts of violence make my stomach crawl...Honestly these kinds of people should have a kneeling in front of Lucille and I wouldn't shed a tear.
??? Kneeling what?
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^^^^ Haven't watched The Walking Dead I see... ;)
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Ugh...
These totally senseless acts of violence make my stomach crawl...Honestly these kinds of people should have a kneeling in front of Lucille and I wouldn't shed a tear.
Charg', I had the exact same feeling when I saw it, the same. Those sons of a bitch should get to know Lucille for real.
The beaten guy is not dead. He was close to death because the knock to his neck went to two centimeters from his vertebra. As he described it, they clearly came back to kill him, plain and simple. Remember that his two children who were outside saw everything through the windows. Imagine what they are feeling today ...He also heard racist insults during the dispute preceding the armed return of these shits in their pajamas.
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The violence and racial hate is so engraved in the dna of those people that is it absolutely sickening. Anyone who isn't a muslim (and heck other muslims too) is free game...and yet there is no mention of it in the news...ofcourse not cause only white people can be racists. Yeah right. The ammount of racists in the muslim community out ranks the racists in the white community by a factor of 10 easily.
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Hey, I'm going to be straightforward in my request: can we make this thread NOT about gory violence and/or racial hatred, no matter who we think is doing the racial hating? "Stupid Criminal" or "Weird News" stories - fine with me, post away with those. But I really don't care for the gore, rape, brutality towards police, brutality from police, any of that.
And yes, one can argue that I don't have to read that stuff. I can just as easily argue that one doesn't have to post that stuff.
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Well news are news...they can't all be happy ones or funny ones...sadly.
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Well news are news...they can't all be happy ones or funny ones...sadly.
True, but the ones we choose to post don't have to be horror stories. I mean, I get it. There are some horrible bastards out there that are ruinous examples of humanity and whose souls are scorched over with evil. I get it. All through history, I read about these people. But it weighs down the soul to have to keep being confronted with them. One example like Sawney Beanes or Gilles de Rais is enough - I don't need to know of more like that, certainly not in details.
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^^^^^^
But what if it is about a criminal getting his just desserts? C:-)
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Interesting question. Reminds me of how Jacques Mesrine was killed by a police ambush.
Was the guy a nasty piece of work that had a bad end in store for him? No question about it. Multiple murders, kidnappings, bank robberies, he was evil, through and through.
But was the state justified in an extrajudicial killing in this case? If it was, where is the line drawn where the state is no longer bound by restrictions and can do the same against others? And if the line gets drawn, who's to say it can't be erased and redrawn to where suddenly myself or a close friend falls on the bloody side of the line?
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Here's a very interesting case taking place in France right now:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8638929/15-horses-mutilated-France-police-hunt-mystery-attackers.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8638929/15-horses-mutilated-France-police-hunt-mystery-attackers.html)
This reminds me of the cattle mutilation cases...some which were left totally unexplained and were suspected to have extra terrestrial connection...is the same thing going on here now?
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Here's a very interesting case taking place in France right now:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8638929/15-horses-mutilated-France-police-hunt-mystery-attackers.html (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8638929/15-horses-mutilated-France-police-hunt-mystery-attackers.html)
This reminds me of the cattle mutilation cases...some which were left totally unexplained and were suspected to have extra terrestrial connection...is the same thing going on here now?
Every good trip down a rabbit hole starts with a wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_mutilation
I had no idea this stuff goes back to records from the 1600s!
My personal favorite explanation is La Chupacabra, because that's fun to say. :)
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Chupacabra is an interesting creature as well...claimed to be some sort of a vampire dog...there are numerous sightings in mexico and in that area...
There is also a bit different type of chupacabra in Puerto Rico that is considered to be perhaps reptilian in nature...
One of my favourites in the Cryptozoology department. Most certainly a creature that atleast HAS existed...perhaps not extinct.
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Catastrophic deadly floods in the south-east of the country in the hinterland of Nice. Torrential rains have been falling for 24 hours. The equivalent of 10 months of rain in a few hours. Small rivers have become furious mountain streams carrying and destroying everything. The tv report below describes this small house in a mountain village where a retired couple lived. You can see what the house looked like before and see it being swallowed up by the waters. The reporter saw the scene and this poor old couple who had taken refuge on the first floor and signaled their presence with a small battery lamp.
Unfortunately, the extreme weather conditions did not allow the civil security helicopters to take off. We saw the rest, the house collapsed under the pressure of the water was washed away with its two inhabitants. We found their bodies today ...
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^^^^^^
That's an awful way to go. :( The only bad thing about living in the mountains.
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Yeah...just horrible.
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Incredible video, continues to prove that mother nature does not give a shit.
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Incredible video, continues to prove that mother nature does not give a shit.
Exactly my thought as soon as I saw this.
A coastal town near the Atlantic Ocean had been submerged 10 years ago. An exceptional tidal coefficient coupled with very strong winds from the west had submerged a village which had been built on soils lying below sea level. Only a levee protected them but this artificial protection didn't resist the power of the waves. Result: dozens of deaths. A small area was then declared unbuildable but houses are still there with the obligation to make an additional level, such as a survival cell. Pure unconsciousness. The greed of professional builders and the corruption of elected officials did the rest as usual but Nature always takes back her rights, always.
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Riot Glass vs. Rioter. Guess who is going to win. :))
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Meanwhile, in Florida...
https://nypost.com/2020/07/23/florida-man-tries-to-evade-arrest-by-cartwheeling-away-from-cops/
Headline says it all...
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An 18-year-old Russian Chechen national decapited a History teacher in the street in front of a college . The teacher had shown his students caricatures of a naked Muhammad by having first suggested to the Muslim students present to leave the class because they risked being shocked. It was a lesson on freedom of expression in France. Parents of students then filed a complaint against this teacher (I swear it is true) and publish requests for violent actions against him. It was October 5th.
The assassin will be killed by the police a few streets away, by the usual summons, otherwise the police could be prosecuted by the murderer's family. I swear to you that is also true.
He refused to stop and had the knife still bloodied in his hand. 7 bullets saved us from an endless trial and newspaper headlines in the months to come.
At the same time, the coranavirus killed 178 people yesterday.
This virus is truly a plague.
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Just read about that...what a sick fuck...Thank goodness for the actions of the police!
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I just saw that on IDNES (a Czech news station I watch to hone my Czech skills). It's also on the Wall Street Journal, BBC, CNN, etc. It's made world news not only because of its heinous nature, but also because the nonsense continues to occur. I wonder if Macron is going to actually do anything about it or if he was just spouting off at the mouth.
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At the same time, the coranavirus killed 178 people yesterday.
This virus is truly a plague.
I think the true plague is the sick brainwashing done to children of Muslims.
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At the same time, the coranavirus killed 178 people yesterday.
This virus is truly a plague.
I think the true plague is the sick brainwashing done to children of Muslims.
Ty, I'm sure you don't miss the sarcasm ...
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I just saw that on IDNES (a Czech news station I watch to hone my Czech skills). It's also on the Wall Street Journal, BBC, CNN, etc. It's made world news not only because of its heinous nature, but also because the nonsense continues to occur. I wonder if Macron is going to actually do anything about it or if he was just spouting off at the mouth.
Second choice, unfortunately.
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Hold on...
Why are you honing Czech skills, Vyn?
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Hold on...
Why are you honing Czech skills, Vyn?
Maybe he wants to be a long haired Czech hockey player in the next life?
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Why are you honing Czech skills, Vyn?
Personal development and recreation. I could go on at length but don't want to inadvertently cause anyone to die from tedium. :banana: :banana:
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Why are you honing Czech skills, Vyn?
Personal development and recreation. I could go on at length but don't want to inadvertently cause anyone to die from tedium. :banana: :banana:
It's just that I had a time a few years ago where I was working on Czech language stuff because of all the guys in Prague I was working with on my project. Now I'm working with Polish guys, so my West Slavic language focus has shifted.
But one thing I enjoyed doing was watching Czech films on YouTube - Witch-hammer is particularly good this time of year, and I can also recommend "Tomorrow I will scald myself with tea", which is a hilarious time-travel comedy.
I also looked up Czech rock bands on the YouTube and found a few decent metal bands out there. There's also a LOT of Frank-Zappa inspired stuff that the Czechs have put out. I think that the Czech Republic is the single larges concentration of Zappa fans in the world... they also love a lot of folk music there.
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^^^
Tomorrow I will Scald Myself with Tea, was written by the Chech author Josef Nesvadba. We had him as a guest of honour at one of our Wincon SF conventions (1991, other guests that year were Bruce Sterling and Brian Stableford). We managed to get a copy of that film (taped off the TV some years earlier by one of our tech guys as the film itself wasn't available for projection), Josef snuck into the screening for a few minutes and came out saying "People are laughing and enjoying it!" he was so chuffed. He was a really nice guy.
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^^^
Tomorrow I will Scald Myself with Tea, was written by the Chech author Josef Nesvadba. We had him as a guest of honour at one of our Wincon SF conventions (1991, other guests that year were Bruce Sterling and Brian Stableford). We managed to get a copy of that film (taped off the TV some years earlier by one of our tech guys as the film itself wasn't available for projection), Josef snuck into the screening for a few minutes and came out saying "People are laughing and enjoying it!" he was so chuffed. He was a really nice guy.
Wow! Did not think someone else here had also seen/heard of it! Awesome!
:awesome:
So, yeah, Vyn, you gotta pull that one up on the YouTube and give it a spin.
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I'll have to Czech it out. ahAhAHAhahaaA
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I see what you did there.
:sneaky:
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the lockdown 2 is launched ... ...and meanwhile, migrant butchers continue to massacre in churches without any problem. Another clandestine migrant was arrested 2 days ago in Lyon threatening people with a knife (again !!!). very few lines in the media.
Clashes between Armenians and Turks took place in the streets of Dijon following the current conflict in the High Karabarch between Azebaidjan supported by the Turks and Armenia. They all shouted allah akbar. still very few lines in the media, Macron is watching.
Calls for violence or murder of French people all over the world are launched by political leaders of several Muslim countries such as Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Aghanistan, Quatar, Jordan and the Palestinian territories: I hope that gives a lesson to our politicians for having wanted to support those fucking occupied territories for years. Remember Chirac in the streets of Jerusalem ...
I think we are not going to spend Christmas peacefully. Other executioners will make themselves known until finally the population finally reacts. We fear a lot for our schools because Macron has decided to leave them open to allow parents to go to work. Not sure this is a good idea in this dark and troubled time for our country.
Damn, all this for a few drawings on sheets of paper...
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Yeah sick muslim fucks are at it again...I've been reading those news with horror once again...
I feel for the French people again.
There is no other religion in the world that would do that...there just isn't.
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I think we are not going to spend Christmas peacefully. Other executioners will make themselves known until finally the population finally reacts.
Yep, the French people will only take so much before they decide to take matters into their own hands.
I fear for your great country TYR.
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^^ thank you my friends ! much appreciated .
However, we feel here that we are at a tipping point. Words that were taboo not so long ago are spoken on the TV sets. I have never seen so many clashes during debates. We often hear "Le Pen was right, Le Pen was right but now THEY are here !" Big general fed-up has again reached an unprecedented level. On the other hand (read the Muslim community), we see too few reactions. When there are, they are inaudible and not very credible. Worse, some clearly show their willingness to seek confrontation. People are scared, but angrier. I fear the worst before long. We are the European country with the largest share of Muslim population on its soil. What heresy ! The Wolf in the sheepfold. We are paying the consequences of denial for over 30 years.
No, we are not the same. Very very sad situation. Like a terrible waking nightmare, like an episode of The Walking Dead, full of Zombies. It's said that World War Z movie would be an allegory to the inexorable spread of Islamism in the world, the film ending with missiles falling, among other places, on Mecca.
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Hang in there, Tyr66. Hope you have better times ahead, and I hope other countries take notice of this situation and think twice before allowing Muslims to enter their borders. Or, even worse, become members of Congress. >:(
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Hang in there, Tyr66. Hope you have better times ahead, and I hope other countries take notice of this situation and think twice before allowing Muslims to enter their borders. Or, even worse, become members of Congress. >:(
The observation has finally been made in broad daylight recently: political Islam has infiltrated everywhere in society: administrations such as those metro drivers who refuse to sit in the same seat after a female colleague or even these pressures from Muslims to separate the opening hours for municipal swimming pools between men and women, schools where children eat hallal food without knowing it, labor unions, student unions, the most important of which is represented by a veiled girl who was received at The national assembly . Some deputies preferred to leave the meeting. The media are strongly affected. Also the world of cinema as this last Césars ceremony, in others words our Oscars, was marred by the speech of a black actress who remarked that blacks were not enough in the room, creating a great unease. . However, it's a movie directed by a criminal who served imprisonment for sequestration which received the great reward. The film deals with delinquents from the suburbs, the new heroes. The entire movie crew were on stage in suits to receive the award. A shame. Also, associations of all kinds are affected: cultural, social, sporting which explains the "specificity" of the French football team noticed by the whole world during the victory in Russia. Laurent Blanc, former Champion du Monde 1998 and subsequently coach of the national team had dared to say one day that he wanted to get out of the stereotype of the tall and strong black defender within his team. Result, a wave of accusation of racism from which he never recovered. It's known in this world of French football that, if you are not a Muslim, you cannot play with the others muslim guys, you are excluded from the game and from the locker room. Everyone let it be through cowardice.
When we all know, even today, public worship of non-Islamic religions is prohibited in Saudi Arabia and no one is crying out loud. Not long ago, a European woman was sentenced to prison for drinking from a fountain reserved exclusively for Muslims ...Just incredible.
Another World on the same Planet.
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On the other hand (read the Muslim community), we see too few reactions. When there are, they are inaudible and not very credible. Worse, some clearly show their willingness to seek confrontation.
What I find funny (not ha haa funny obviously but sad funny) is that when there are no radical islamic terrorist attacks happening the muslim religious leaders all condemn terrorism but when there ARE attacks happening or have just happened it's fuckin' crickets...no one says a goddamn thing. It's like silent approval. I hate that.
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I caught a small headline about the 3 people knifed to death in that church. It's like France has turned into open hunting ground where ideologs (with zero intention of assimilating into the French culture that welcomed them when they needed to get away from the violence of their homeland) lash out murderously whenever they get upset.
I mean, holy shit, Iran stating that France's reaction to the killings is "unwise", hundreds of thousands in Bangadesh protesting against France, the Philippines judging France's reaction to be "divisive", Erdogen flapping his lips about it, and on and on.
What's divisive is people murdering other people. France should just shut up and let it happen? France should throw out it's own culture so they aren't seen as divisive and allow itself to be cowed into a doormat for the very people who commit these atrocities?
Maybe France should form a committee of inclusiveness and invite muslim leaders in France and other countries to tell France what they should do. Maybe France should do more to educate the muslims in their country and provide them with more assistance in becoming financially secure. Perhaps it would be better if France implemented Sharia law, then rapes, beheadings, honor killings, goat-fuckings, pedophilia, and other cultural norms from elsewhere would no longer be against the law and then France wouldn't be decried as "divisive" by muslim leaders and academics around the world.
This isn't about a few people breaking laws in France and then being processed through France's judicial system as any other criminal would. This is about a few people breaking laws in France, who happen to be of a certain faith, and when France balks at the pattern of behavior a million fucking people around the world who share that faith go nuts.
France could simply kick those bastards out of their country, stop letting them in, and wheel out the guillotine for every one of them they catch that has murdered French citizens.
Intolerant? Yes it is. Wrong? I don't think so. You cannot reason with the unreasonable, and when it fails you HAVE to do what it takes to IMMEDIATELY stop your family/neighbors/citizens from being brutalized, terrorized, and murdered. All of the care, compassion, empathy, understanding, talk, and sociological mind-noodling in the world amounts to jack shit to the person getting their head carved off by someone yelling about how great god is, in Arabic.
Does this piss me off? Yes, it does.
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Thanx for your kind words , friends.
... and now , a Greek Orthodox priest was shot by gun as he closed his church at 4:00 p.m. in Lyon. A guy shot him twice with a sawn-off shotgun. We don't yet know if it's a terrorist act (no shouting allah akbar) or a personal concern with a parishioner of the church. Policemen are actively looking for it. All of these things are happening while we are in lockdown. What a mess .
Meanwhile, Macron is on Al Jazeera chanel explaining to arabs what a caricature is and that he's not responsible for the prophets drawings. Can't believe it.
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I read about that too... If it was a muslim (which is very likely) I believe the priest was just killed because he was a priest.
France is headed into some seriously deep waters now. The religion war is getting closer and closer...and I am worried...very worried...and disgusted...
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A question to our American friends: Why does the choice in this presidential election offer such old candidates ? Can a large and vast country like the USA not make appear men or women more in tune with their time ?
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A question to our American friends: Why does the choice in this presidential election offer such old candidates ? Can a large and vast country like the USA not make appear men or women more in tune with their time ?
That's a good question I've been pondering it for years too... Why do presidents in the US need to be nearly senile senior citizens?
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I don't know.
Wisdom and leadership ability seems to be tied to "wisdom and leadership ability gained through experience". So presumably the older you are, the more experience you have, the more contacts you have made, the more wisdom you have developed and the more leadership skills you posses.
It's a logical fallacy of course, and the rest is a rabbit hole of two-party system funding, our baby boomer generation being legion, etc.
I will say that I don't think the DNC nominated Joe Biden. I think the Dems nominated Harris and wrapped her inside Joe Biden to appear more palatable to voters.
But ultimately, I don't know.
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First of all, you have to be at least 35 years old by law in order to become president. Vyn is right in that experience matters. In fact I believe experience is more important at performing ones job than any other factor, no matter what the job is. The other thing Vyn mentioned is connections. The way the system is, requires knowing powerful and established people to back you both with money to spend, and additional connections. These days it is extremely expensive to run a campaign.
Personally, I would never vote for anyone running for President who isn't at least 50 years old. I don't care who it is.
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Well not going under 50 is one thing but going above 70 is another.
I think there should also be an age limit in running for president. The thing is you can be 100% at the of 70 but there is a strong possibility that you are not. Which clearly is the case in point with Biden and to some extenct in Trump too. Neither are hardly on top of their game anymore and there is a strong possibilty than neither one of them will be able to carry out another 4 years of effective service.
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^^^^^^
Trump is pretty spry for his age, or any age. This week he has been attending rallies in different states everyday. Sometimes in multiple states on the same day. His schedule for speaking at rallies today alone was:
11:00 AM in Michigan
2:15 PM in Iowa
5:45 PM in North Carolina
8:30 in Georgia
Check on a map to see the traveling that has to be done in order to do this. I don't know how the man does it.
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^^^
Well he does have a big plane... ;D
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Looks like Biden will be "getting his snack on" up in the big plane come the end of January.
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Looks like Biden will be "getting his snack on" up in the big plane come the end of January.
Slow down, buddy. Recounts to do and multiple court cases to be decided. Long way to go yet.
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Looks like Biden will be "getting his snack on" up in the big plane come the end of January.
Slow down, buddy. Recounts to do and multiple court cases to be decided. Long way to go yet.
Well it seems to a pretty slam dunk though. Granted the vote differences seem to be very small, but there are so many swing states Biden won I can't see the result changing so dramatically that it would change the result.
Now what we need to know is what the national debt of the US is at the moment and how many times bigger it will be after 2 years of Biden in the office and 2 especially 2 years after Harris in the office....
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Happy to help with the national debt discussion:
(https://www.thestreet.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MTY3NTM5MzU4ODE2MzQ4MDQ2/image-placeholder-title.webp)
When we look at Reinhart and Rogoff's work on national debts, they point out that in the wake of a major economic crash, a nation will see the national debt increase by a factor of 180-250%. This goes back even to the pre-Keynesian 19th Century. This takes about 5-10 years to unwind. So, we look at the debt in 2008 and see that by 2016, we were at around 190% of the pre-crash amount. The USA is in a economic crash now, so we're going to have some major debt issues in the years to come in order to get through this rough patch. And while nations should be paying down the debt in good times, that doesn't happen... so we're starting this crash-fix at over 21 trillion instead of 2008's 10 trillion.
Now, can the nation handle having a 40-45 trillion debt? If interest rates are extremely low, zero, or negative, yes. Otherwise, no. If we see higher interest rates, then we're looking at a period of "soft" default, with the nation utilizing inflation and other measures to repay debt with money worth less than what was borrowed. Given that we still retain instabilities in the financial system that were not resolved in the years following 2008, the zero and negative interest rates are most likely, so that no financial entity has to undergo a day of reckoning that results in systemic shocks that collapse the global economy.
As long as the economic growth rate is higher than the rate of interest, then a nation can grow its way out of a problem and continually service its debt. I'd rather see that debt repaid and eliminated, but it's a much bigger job now than it was back when the Reagan tax cuts and spending increases first took it over the 1 trillion mark.
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Well at least the Trump supporters are taking it better than he is. No rioting, looting or burning of anything like what would be happening with the other mobs supporters had they lost.
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Well at least the Trump supporters are taking it better than he is. No rioting, looting or burning of anything like what would be happening with the other mobs supporters had they lost.
Well ofcourse they are. Conservatives don't go around destroying people's livelyhoods and burn down entire cities just cause they are little upset. That's what the other side is all about.
Here is an interesting prediction about the US debt:
(https://www.pgpf.org/sites/default/files/how-the-national-debt-grew-in-2019-chart-1.jpg)
Looks scary as it is but this was done last year, before the pandemic and before a president with an insane spening mentality got into the office...so I'm projecting high number to be much much earlier.
And no. No country can just take on debt indefinitely. It just doesn't work that way. And what is so scary about this situation is that China has already acquired quite a bit of the US loans so if it carries on and if China will keep it's stronger economy going soon China will OWN the US.
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Looks like Biden will be "getting his snack on" up in the big plane come the end of January.
Slow down, buddy. Recounts to do and multiple court cases to be decided. Long way to go yet.
Well it seems to a pretty slam dunk though. Granted the vote differences seem to be very small, but there are so many swing states Biden won I can't see the result changing so dramatically that it would change the result.
If you think this is a "slam dunk", then you don't understand the process. The alleged frauds only have to be proven in a couple of states in order to change the lead in electoral votes. This will be decided in the courts. As high as the Supreme Court, if necessary.
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Looks like Biden will be "getting his snack on" up in the big plane come the end of January.
Slow down, buddy. Recounts to do and multiple court cases to be decided. Long way to go yet.
Well it seems to a pretty slam dunk though. Granted the vote differences seem to be very small, but there are so many swing states Biden won I can't see the result changing so dramatically that it would change the result.
If you think this is a "slam dunk", then you don't understand the process. The alleged frauds only have to be proven in a couple of states in order to change the lead in electoral votes. This will be decided in the courts. As high as the Supreme Court, if necessary.
Yeah I get that. But so far no frauds have been proven and I think they might be pretty hard to prove anyways.
Also I don't really think it would be in Trump's best interest to drag this on...he is already so unpopular and fighting this would just increase that even more.
So unless there comes some 100% certain evidence of fraud or stolen votes this should be a done deal. I know that Trump is not a very good loser but I think he just needs to take the hit and move on.
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^^^
I usually keep out of these political debates, but hey ho!
I disagree, Trump is very popular, his votes are the second highest ever recorded, and he increased his vote by several million... it's just that Biden got millions more ths time round.
Recounts only change the outcome by around 1-200 votes so there's little hope that Georgia and Wisconsin will change hands.
Regarding the fraud, Trump has stated there is fraud but has not actually presented any evidence. This includes in states where the count was controlled by Republican officials!
Can I just say that while I may prefer Democrats I don't mind Republicans if they seem fit for the job. However, I absolutely detest Trump, he is so unworthy of the power he wields, and comes across as a 74 year old baby throwing tantrums whenever he doesn't get his way.
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Actually Trump is probably the least popular president in history.
The ammount of votes he got wasn't because he'd be popular but it's because of Biden. Just like the last time the vast majority had to choose between two horrible candidates. But party loyalty is what comes first and fore most.
And in most cases it is valid for both sides too. You HAVE to chose one so that's the way it goes.
There are a lot people saying they would have rather voted nearly ANYONE else than Trump or Biden but they had to choose between those two and obviously then it goes by party.
The reason for the record high vote numbers was the record high voting percentage.
That's my view on the matter anyways...and I might be very very wrong too..as I usually tend to be anyways.
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^^^
You could be right about voting on party lines.
The problem with Biden is he doesnl't seem to have much of a personality, but let's hope his nearly 50 years of experience makes him a good choice. I think he will stand down in 24 and hopefully someone with a good personality and integrity will arise!
BTW there was a 3rd choice... Kanye West got 60,000 votes and is now talking about running again in 24!
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The Vendée Globe Race: go !!
A race around the world for 33 skippers, alone in a boat for 74 days.
(https://www.letelegramme.fr/images/2020/11/08/le-depart-du-vendee-globe-a-ete-donne-ce-dimanche-a_5388970_1000x526.jpg?v=1)
(https://media.bateaux.com/bateaux/35190/imoca-vendee-globe-jeremie-beyou-1.jpg)
(https://www.vendee-tourisme.com/sites/www.vendee-tourisme.com/files/styles/paragraphes_media_50/public/thumbnails/image/carte_vg_1170x430.png?itok=bRkFf9k_)
Godspeed , guys !
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^^^
It's the only yachting race I'm interested in, the America's Cup seems like a rich boy competition.
Four Brits this time around, Alex Thompson has our best chance.
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Simply completing the circuit requires extraordinary focus and determination. Winning it is an accomplishment!
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Now that sounds like quite the event!
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I think he will stand down in 24 and hopefully someone with a good personality and integrity will arise!
I seriously doubt he'll make it to 24. In fact I'm pretty sure he won't. He has clear signs of dementia already and even the democratic party (namely the wicked witch herself Pelosi) has already taken steps in how to remove him from office.
Scary times.
BTW there was a 3rd choice... Kanye West got 60,000 votes and is now talking about running again in 24!
Hahah! Oh yeah indeed...good old Kanye.
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Looks like Biden will be "getting his snack on" up in the big plane come the end of January.
Slow down, buddy. Recounts to do and multiple court cases to be decided. Long way to go yet.
Well it seems to a pretty slam dunk though. Granted the vote differences seem to be very small, but there are so many swing states Biden won I can't see the result changing so dramatically that it would change the result.
If you think this is a "slam dunk", then you don't understand the process. The alleged frauds only have to be proven in a couple of states in order to change the lead in electoral votes. This will be decided in the courts. As high as the Supreme Court, if necessary.
Yeah I get that. But so far no frauds have been proven and I think they might be pretty hard to prove anyways.
Also I don't really think it would be in Trump's best interest to drag this on...he is already so unpopular and fighting this would just increase that even more.
So unless there comes some 100% certain evidence of fraud or stolen votes this should be a done deal. I know that Trump is not a very good loser but I think he just needs to take the hit and move on.
:doh: "Taking the hit" makes zero sense because that is not the issue. The most important issue is that the citizens remain confident that elections are fair and that their votes matter. This is more important than who the winner is. It has nothing to do with sore losers, or dragging anything on, or anything else. That's why questionable behavior and highly unusual circumstances have to be investigated.
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:doh: "Taking the hit" makes zero sense because that is not the issue. The most important issue is that the citizens remain confident that elections are fair and that their votes matter. This is more important than who the winner is. It has nothing to do with sore losers, or dragging anything on, or anything else. That's why questionable behavior and highly unusual circumstances have to be investigated.
Well I think the majority of people are confident that the election was fair. Same is said by official observers that (as of yet) no evidence of tampering have been found. Ofcourse that doesn't mean there wasn't any...in fact I am pretty sure there has been. But can it be proven is another issue. Also another thing ofcourse is would it chance the over all result.
I do not think Trump will fight this too much. I don't think it is worth it.
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Simply completing the circuit requires extraordinary focus and determination. Winning it is an accomplishment!
The parallels 40th and 50th are always the South limits that should not be crossed otherwise risks are too great. Faster but Dangerous. They are called the roaring forties and the howling fiftieths. I love the fear they arouse in the imagination ...
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Simply completing the circuit requires extraordinary focus and determination. Winning it is an accomplishment!
The parallels 40th and 50th are always the South limits that should not be crossed otherwise risks are too great. Faster but Dangerous. They are called the roaring forties and the howling fiftieths. I love the fear they arouse in the imagination ...
Winds more fierce than those generated by the politicians I'm not talking about!
Islands in those latitudes have always had a bit of interest for me, owing to their remoteness and desolation.
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Update: Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors to pursue “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities before the 2020 presidential election is certified.
And so it begins. C:-)
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(https://media.makeameme.org/created/william-barr-because.jpg)
Zero credibility for those "substantial allegations".
Is he going to start with trying to find the ballots from Mars? According to Giuliani's "Four Seasons" press conference, those are an issue. :rolleyes:
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Update: Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors to pursue “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities before the 2020 presidential election is certified.
And so it begins. C:-)
The headlines on the major news stations have underlying implications that allegations have been made that have substance. When the phrase "substantial allegations" is read within the context of the rest of Barr's actual words, it loses all implications; he isn't claiming there are or are not any allegations with substance, and in fact directs the feds to ignore anything they find unless it appears to have substance.
Not everyone will read those headlines in that manner, but a lot of people will. News headlines are very carefully crafted to impart a message that pulls readers in while not actually lying about it. Make it seem more than it really is, or something it really isn't.
Mind-fucking aside, the thing I find important is that what Barr has done is remove the need for law enforcement investigations to 1) wait for the results to be certified and 2) by-pass the criminal election fraud's office and report directly to Barr.
That can grow large, sharp fangs. The rest of it is smoke and mirrors in relation.
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Georgia recount has begun and already, there are problems.
First, the process doesn’t include a review of absentee ballot application signatures and ballot envelopes to ensure they comply with statutory signature verification rules.
Second, the state parties can designate only one reviewer for every 10 audit teams. That makes it impossible for hand count decisions to be reviewed in real time.
Without full transparency, the results can never be trusted.
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Without full transparency, the results can never be trusted.
They can never be fully trusted.
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Without full transparency, the results can never be trusted.
They can never be fully trusted.
Full transparency certainly helps.
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Only a portion of the fraud in Pennsylvania.
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I heard somewhere that the dead have a very fast mail system that defies physics as we know it.
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Well, the good news is that there's no substance to the accusations of voter fraud. We had a good election in the USA. Could it have been better? Of course. I'd love for Republican legislatures in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, and other states to stop gerrymandering to dilute the voting power of minorities, to stop raising barriers to voting that target minorities, and to stop using weak criteria as justification for voter purges when they could just as easily utilize modern data best practices to automatically register voters appropriately... but, hey, maybe next time. Overall, it was a good election, no credible evidence of fraud, and the people have spoken. Vox populi, vox dei.
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https://video.foxnews.com/v/6211509633001
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https://video.foxnews.com/v/6211509633001
:yes: The judge lays things out eloquently. So many unanswered questions, so much questionable behavior, and mounting evidence of fraud backed by witnesses willing to testify under oath. But no matter how strong the case is made, the fraud deniers will look the other way, because their minds are so diseased with hatred for President Trump. Fraud deniers would sacrifice a strong economy, because of this hatred. Fraud deniers would accept a weaker military, because of this hatred. Fraud deniers would allow us to be censored, because of this hatred. And yes, fraud deniers would even give up our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, because of this hatred. Sick!
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Typhon: zero proof of fraud such as being described. Also way overreacting on what a Biden administration will deliver. Always happy to have a bipartisan voter registration effort, wish those were standard across all 50 states.
"Georgia is a blue state... if they let us vote." - Martin Luther King III
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I've heard that success is in the ability to adapt ! Covid-19 (closed restaurants) + Mc Drive = new Mc Baguette !
tbh , not bad at all , despite the slightly strong old-fashioned mustard ...
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I've heard that success is in the ability to adapt ! Covid-19 (closed restaurants) + Mc Drive = new Mc Baguette !
tbh , not bad at all , despite the slightly strong old-fashioned mustard ...
:nono:
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^^^
:D
I do bet it will taste better than a mcdonald's burger though! ;D
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^^^
:D
I do bet it will taste better than a mcdonald's burger though! ;D
Knowing McDonald's, it'll probably taste about the same. Guaranteed to not be bad at the cost of never being amazing. I've eaten McDonald's in the USA, China, Russia, and France - basic cheeseburger and fries - and it's the same stuff around the world.
I will say this, though, McDonald's in China really impressed me with how it hired the handicapped to work there and to feel appreciated in that environment. I remember more the smiles from the kid with Down's Syndrome who swept up the place than I do the burger. In a nation that wants to sweep all kinds of people with imperfections under the carpet, McDonald's found a way to treat them with some dignity. Everyone there showed pride when he greeted me, thanked me, and said goodbye to me in English, and I think they helped to teach it to him.
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^^^
:D
I do bet it will taste better than a mcdonald's burger though! ;D
I confirm ! :D Already the bread itself, real bread, not that pasty and stuffy thing called "bread" used for big mac for example ! 1 hour after having eaten it, hunger returns ! :o
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Knowing McDonald's, it'll probably taste about the same. Guaranteed to not be bad at the cost of never being amazing. I've eaten McDonald's in the USA, China, Russia, and France - basic cheeseburger and fries - and it's the same stuff around the world.
I would imagine that a global chain like that would have pretty similar standards everywhere in the world However I've eaten at McDonald's here few times...haven't been impressed. Very dry burgers and the bread isn't all that great either.
We have our own Finnish burger chain called Hesburger here and it's about 10 times better.
^^^
:D
I do bet it will taste better than a mcdonald's burger though! ;D
I confirm ! :D Already the bread itself, real bread, not that pasty and stuffy thing called "bread" used for big mac for example ! 1 hour after having eaten it, hunger returns ! :o
Sounds good. Bread is important. Sounds like you need to get another one then! ;D
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Barheïn Grand Prix : Not local but Romain Grosjean the miraculous pilot is French so ... the sequence is absolutely speechless !!
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Amazing, glad to see the driver walk away from that fireball!
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^^^ I have a Hesburger restaurant that I downloaded to use in my Cities:Skylines games. I do NOT have a McDonald's restaurant. :D
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Bobby Piton, a mathematician who testified Monday at an election integrity hearing in Phoenix, Arizona, was suspended by Twitter that same day.
As the state certified its election results, Piton testified that the data he has collected county-by-county showed clear anomalies, as 95-99 percent of registered voters voted in key demographics: “Something is very wrong,” he said.
The following statements were part of Mr. Piton's sworn testimony:
“I would have never ever have certified, I would rather resign than have certified those results. If I was an executive at a publicly traded company, I would never sign that because I risk jail time and having all my money taken from me in lawsuits,” he added. “I believe [the numbers] are fraudulent based on the data… I’d be willing to put my life on it, I’m that sure about the analysis.”
Every competent mathematician in the country can see the fraud. :smug:
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Sorry, that's a load of horse hooey.
There's zero evidence of electoral fraud. Worse, the counties targeted for these exercises in funny maths are all with high minority populations - the racial tones are clear in that message, that the suspicion is falling solely upon the Blacks and Hispanics. When, in fact, it's those very populations that have struggled to get to the polling places because of Republican-led initiatives to block their votes. If you want mathematic analysis of voters, go to Greg Palast. He's a journalist who used to be a professor of statistics, and he's able to demonstrate concretely not only the deprivation of the minority votes, but the violations of law that go with such deprivations.
And now, there are politicians in Georgia attempting to basically re-introduce the poll tax by requiring a vehicle registration in order to vote. It's naked targeting of minority votes and voters, placing their legitimacy on a different standard than what is considered for white voters.
But, again, ZERO EVIDENCE. You think the math proves fraud? Then where is the evidence to back such an assertion? It is not there. All these hucksters have is the aspersions they cast on minority voters, nothing else. Good that a liar got suspended from Twitter.
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Yesterday in Arlington Virginia, USPS subcontractor Jesse Morgan, a whistleblower who has come forward, told his story of 280,000 ballots he shipped from Bethpage, NY to Lancaster, PA. These were completed, curated ballots ready to be injected into counting centers, transferred across state lines.
As more and more brave people come forward with what they have witnessed, it is going to get harder and harder for even the hardcore fraud deniers to continue their disregard of the truth.
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Yesterday in Arlington Virginia, USPS subcontractor Jesse Morgan, a whistleblower who has come forward, told his story of 280,000 ballots he shipped from Bethpage, NY to Lancaster, PA. These were completed, curated ballots ready to be injected into counting centers, transferred across state lines.
As more and more brave people come forward with what they have witnessed, it is going to get harder and harder for even the hardcore fraud deniers to continue their disregard of the truth.
Bullshit. Not even Bill Barr found evidence of fraud, which came as an interesting and welcome surprise to me.
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I doubt any serious attempt at fraud would use the USPS to deliver the fraudulent ballots around the country, the mere suggestion seems like fake news!
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Not even Bill Barr found evidence of fraud, which came as an interesting and welcome surprise to me.
:redcard: This is a misrepresentation of what Barr stated.
I doubt any serious attempt at fraud would use the USPS to deliver the fraudulent ballots around the country, the mere suggestion seems like fake news!
Get real! The FBI got caught lying to a federal judge in order to obtain wire taps on a Trump campaign worker (Carter Page). There is nothing these people won't do.
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And are you next going to tell me how a personality test will unlock my future potential? Or that, by calculating with numbers derived from The Great Pyramids, you have determined the day the world will end?
"There is nothing these people won't do." - can you possibly be any more dramatically deranged? Come to your senses, man. You're talking crazy.
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Jesse Morgan, his attorney, and their handler from the Amistad Project are unconvincing.
Mr. Morgan's corn-pone deportment indicates he is either a complete tool or is being told what to say and how to say it.
His attorney just happens to have connections with the Amistad Project. How...in tune of him! But he's never heard of the DoJ's PIN?
https://www.justice.gov/criminal-pin (https://www.justice.gov/criminal-pin)
I mean, AG Barr has made getting the ball rolling on election fraud issues simple by cutting out the normal process and having all issues sent directly to his office. How is Jesse's tale not front and center on Barr's desk?
Because it's BULLSHIT.
This thing would be ramrodded through the legal system faster than the phrase "Deep State" can evacuate itself out of that hole under Lou Dobbs's nose. But it's not. Why?
Because it's BULLSHIT.
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A couple of years ago, I seem to remember Trump claiming that there was some illegal wire taping going on, and some people were calling that bullshit too.
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A couple of years ago, I seem to remember Trump claiming that there was some illegal wire taping going on, and some people were calling that bullshit too.
Seriously, you're starting to sound like a missionary on my doorstep, trying to get me to join you in your belief system.
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A couple of years ago, I seem to remember Trump claiming that there was some illegal wire taping going on, and some people were calling that bullshit too.
I see where you're coming from with that rejoinder, however I'm confident that the logic used to correlate that issue with Jessie M.'s story is flawed.
The politicization of criminal behavior is the real bullshit in all of this. Across the board. It confounds and confuses efforts to make real, timely, and effective change where it is needed and only serves to "keep the pot stirred".
And it allows crooks to keep-on-a-crookin'. Dazzle everyone with the aforementioned excrement, and move on down the road.
But back to the topic at hand, if there is wholesale election fraud going on, I want it to be found out and those involved prosecuted. In fact, they can get shot by firing squad as traitors and I'd be cool with that. The clown show that Amistad put on starring their dupe Jessie M. is not going to make that happen.
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But back to the topic at hand, if there is wholesale election fraud going on, I want it to be found out and those involved prosecuted. In fact, they can get shot by firing squad as traitors and I'd be cool with that. The clown show that Amistad put on starring their dupe Jessie M. is not going to make that happen.
And how about all the folks who, yesterday, gave their eyewitness statements to the Michigan board of electors? All liars? Or those that came forward at the meeting in Nevada, or last week at the hearing in Pennsylvania? I know, all of these people are liars.
But I'm the one sounding like "a missionary at the doorstep". I'm the one keeping " the pot stirred". Who are the ones really slinging the bullshit around here?
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Breaking News
Today at the judiciary hearing in Georgia, a republican attorney presents video evidence of illegal ballots being entered into the system. Workers and monitors are told that counting will stop for the evening and continue in the morning. After they leave, late at night 4 people come in and retrieve suitcases full of ballots from underneath a table and begin counting them on several machines.
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Re the Michigan statements: none were sworn in and their testimony had been rejected by the courts already. And, yeah, you sound like a guy with a helluva irrational belief system there. Kind of like the flat earthers who have all kinds of videos on how there are no planes flying between Chile and Australia... except that there are.
And most of the stuff being cited is essentially normal activity being called into suspicion by people who aren't familiar with how election processes go. They pretend to be, but they aren't.
***
If you want voter fraud on a scale that can impact the election results, look to what the Republicans did in Georgia and are getting sued over:
https://mailchi.mp/gregpalast/ny-times-georgiapalast-black-voters-matter-sue-over-20000-purged-voters
There's for-reals evidence in this case, not just Uncle Rudy's Nutcase Brigade telling tales out of school.
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And how about all the folks who, yesterday, gave their eyewitness statements to the Michigan board of electors? All liars? Or those that came forward at the meeting in Nevada, or last week at the hearing in Pennsylvania? I know, all of these people are liars.
I'm talking about one person and the circumstances surrounding that person's revelation. I'm not going down the rabbit hole of every swinging dick's eyeball testimony about anything. But I did manage to find the time to look into Mr. Morgan's story that you posted and feel comfortable stating that it is bullshit. If you want to extrapolate my position on that to everything, that's your choice, but it isn't the truth. And if I wanted to call you a pot-stirrer I'd just call you a pot-stirrer, lol.
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Re the Michigan statements: none were sworn in and their testimony had been rejected by the courts already. And, yeah, you sound like a guy with a helluva irrational belief system there. Kind of like the flat earthers who have all kinds of videos on how there are no planes flying between Chile and Australia... except that there are.
And most of the stuff being cited is essentially normal activity being called into suspicion by people who aren't familiar with how election processes go. They pretend to be, but they aren't.
***
If you want voter fraud on a scale that can impact the election results, look to what the Republicans did in Georgia and are getting sued over:
https://mailchi.mp/gregpalast/ny-times-georgiapalast-black-voters-matter-sue-over-20000-purged-voters
There's for-reals evidence in this case, not just Uncle Rudy's Nutcase Brigade telling tales out of school.
I'll respond to this with my Zzz impersonation:
Bull, they're all liars. Up is down and black is white.
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OK, so your response to a valid suit against the State of Georgia for ~200K Black voters improperly removed from the records is to deny it happened while you cling to your irrational belief in Trumpism.
OK, coolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcoolcool...
(https://media.giphy.com/media/VJf9cRH0fk8XetIP7c/giphy.gif)
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This lady had been a staple of the Kansas City jazz scene for many years. Four years go she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and at 10:30pm on November 24th it killed her.
She recorded this video in her living room two months prior to that.
It's probably apparent that she has on a lot of makeup and her hair is not her own. What may not be apparent is that she was in the kind of pain only people who have that shit can understand. This was her last performance before she resigned herself to oblivion.
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^ I'm always moved by people who take the approach of a finality and face it with duty, dignity, and without having fear overwhelm them. I've got a new hero. Thanks, Vyn.
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But back to the topic at hand, if there is wholesale election fraud going on, I want it to be found out and those involved prosecuted. In fact, they can get shot by firing squad as traitors and I'd be cool with that.
Well okay then! Lets start the investigations and get the firing squads ready. :smug:
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODQ0NTM4OTMtZGJhMy00NDY3LWExZDUtZjYxZjgwYTllMjU2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzk4NzE3NjM@._V1_FMjpg_UX250_.jpg)
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Or not, if you're basing it on the faulty assumptions, anonymous accounts, and improper analysis of cellphone location data. Zero actual evidence to back up allegations made in the film.
It's very similar to the Flat Earth Society material, MUFON, and other pseudoscience groups that will cling to their central myths, all the while denouncing proof of their falsehoods as part of a vast conspiracy against them. It's a no-win situation for anyone trying to explain the inherent falsehoods in the wild ravings. There's an a priori assumption that anything that proves the central myth false to be itself false.
If you want the cult of Trump to be your religion, that's your business, though. Just know it for what it is: an irrational belief that encourages its followers to acts of extremist violence. If that's what you want to be part of, so be it.
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^^^^^^
The only "cult" around here is your cult of denial. You would rather see despicable people get away with rigging an election, just because you hate the man it was rigged against. That is really sick.
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It's very similar to the Flat Earth Society material, MUFON, and other pseudoscience groups that will cling to their central myths, all the while denouncing proof of their falsehoods as part of a vast conspiracy against them. It's a no-win situation for anyone trying to explain the inherent falsehoods in the wild ravings. There's an a priori assumption that anything that proves the central myth false to be itself false.
MUFON can't possibly be grouped together with Flat Earthers for fucks sake!
Just if you don't believe in extra terrestrial life doesn't mean there isn't any...It is in fact pretty much 100% certainty that there is...Let's not be so full of ourselves to say that we are the only sentient life in a universe that is so vast it is incomprehensible.
Also there are dozens of sightings of unidentified flying objects (or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena as they are now called) made around the world everyday. Even if they aren't from other worlds they still remain unidentified and studying them is hardly pseudoscience...
Calling extra terrestrial life inherent falsehood is just...I don't even know what that is...is most certainly is beneath you...I would like to hope anyways.
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@Charger: MUFON puts out a lot of misleading and false information. It doesn't do anything to prove or disprove anything about extraterrestrial life, but it doesn't help research being done when they advance false claims.
@Typhon: QED. For the record, I'm against rigging of elections. I am glad that evidence clearly shows that the USA election of November 2020 was not rigged. Trump clearly lost, in spite of Republican-backed efforts to suppress and intimidate the vote in many of the states under a Republican-dominated state government. We have records that Trump and his circle planned to lie about the election in the event of a defeat. Their intent was to cast doubt on a valid result to justify their attempts to overturn the election through the court system and, failing that, by force.
I don't hate Donald Trump, either. I do pity him, but I do not hate him. He is someone who is blinded by his own manipulations, and that's a terrible mental prison to have to live in.
If you want to find out just how the lies about the election were set up and how inconsistent they are with what actually happened, the information is out there to set you free. I don't expect to or even want to change your underlying views on social, political, or economic issues. I just hope that you'll find a way out of the falsehoods. You live in Massachusetts, so it's not a matter of striving for your vote or anything ulterior like that. I just care about you as a friend, that's my motive here.
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I am glad that evidence clearly shows that the USA election of November 2020 was not rigged.
It is obvious you did not watch the 2000 Mules documentary. It exposed just how this fraud was accomplished. Not just from the tracking of cell phone ping data, but actual videos of it happening from multiple locations in as many as 6 different states. They have over 4 million minutes of video evidence. It is overwhelming.
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@Charger: MUFON puts out a lot of misleading and false information. It doesn't do anything to prove or disprove anything about extraterrestrial life, but it doesn't help research being done when they advance false claims.
Mufon pretty much just shows off footage that other people have captured of UEP's...sure they can sometime lay it on bit thick on the side of "it must be extra terrestrial" because most of them are believers but they also do very much investigate the sightings and have proven a whole bunch of them either fakes or natural phenomena...
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I am glad that evidence clearly shows that the USA election of November 2020 was not rigged.
It is obvious you did not watch the 2000 Mules documentary. It exposed just how this fraud was accomplished. Not just from the tracking of cell phone ping data, but actual videos of it happening from multiple locations in as many as 6 different states. They have over 4 million minutes of video evidence. It is overwhelming.
I'm sorry, but the film is a fiction of bits and pieces that fit their narrative. It's presented in a way that looks impressive, but anything looks impressive when you fail to include the details that completely undermine and disprove one's narrative. The phone ping data cannot distinguish between different persons passing by a location and the "pattern of life" filtering is a limited fix, not one that makes for strong forensic conclusions. When the filmmakers claimed to match geolocation signals with protest attendance records from ACLED, ACLED countered that that was impossible since they don't track cellphone data. The direct untruth stated in the film was later retconned by the filmmakers after ACLED proved them false.
The discussion of geolocation data in a homicide cold case is also untrue. The homicide was not a cold case. The data the filmmakers claim was used by the feds to make an arrest never happened, as the state police made the arrest and there was no indication that geolocation data had a role in the case. While the filmmakers did contact the FBI with what they held to be useful data, the GBI indicates it never received such information from the FBI.
The film shows a geolocation map superimposed over a map of what they claim to be Atlanta. It was actually a map of Moscow. Another diagram purports to show how someone went to 28 different ballot boxes. Superimposing that diagram on a map of actual ballot box locations only has a few of those diagram positions actually near ballot box locations.
The film includes scenes of what they allege to be persons depositing multiple ballots into drop boxes. Most states allow ballot collection on behalf of family members. There is an allegation that a woman is depositing a small stack of ballots, but it's not clear if there truly is more than one ballot. But that incident was also on 5 January 2021, not during the 2020 election. As for casting aspersions on people with gloves, there were lots more people wearing gloves during November 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
There is the matter of the "frustrated" man on a bicycle. There is no evidence of frustration. That the man later takes a photo of his bike by a ballot box is not immediately suspicious, as Georgia, along with other states, was encouraging its citizens to share election experiences as part of a positive "get out the vote" campaign. That particular drop box had multiple images from different voters shared on social media.
There were three surveillance videos from the film that Georgia did investigate - all three showed lawful depositing of multiple ballots, according to Georgia investigators.
Left out of the film is the requirement that all absentee ballots require the following:
1. Be in an envelope sent from the state to the voter
2. Said envelope includes the voter's registration info, signature, and barcode for verification
Ballots without the above requirements are set aside as either invalid or spoiled, essentially rejected.
While D'Souza in the film alleges that a man depositing votes for himself and his family is committing a crime with fraudulent ballots, D'Souza has zero evidence of any illegal ballot trafficking operation. D'Souza opines that ballots delivered in the manner the man in the film delivered them would be invalid. The chairman of the Georgia election board explains that a valid ballot remains so regardless of how it was received.
The allegation of 1155 "mules" in Philadelphia is false. A single anonymous witness who "assumed" she saw something shady in Arizona is all the evidence presented. No evidence for any other state is presented to substantiate the allegations of payments for votes. There are multiple speculative statements about how the filmmakers presume ballots could have been stolen or coerced, but no surveillance video to show anyone dropping off ballots more than once.
There are aspersions cast on how votes are tallied and that states swung as the counts were completed. In-person votes are counted first, and Republicans tend to vote in-person most frequently. So, yes, their numbers are likely to have the first complete tally. Then the absentee ballots, with a higher Democratic percentage of voters in them, are tallied. Once all the votes are tallied, the official election results are called by officials. The disparity was more pronounced in 2020, as Republican politicians had strongly encouraged their supporters to vote in person and many Democratic voters saw absentee voting as a means of exercising their constitutional right to vote in a way that did not jeopardize their health in the ongoing pandemic.
The last third of the film is a panel discussion of persons who all work for Salem Media Group, the film's executive producer.
Phillips said in an interview with Charlie Kirk, a film panelist, that it took a great effort to conduct data analysis and that the analysis was conducted at the High Performance Computing Collaboratory ad Mississippi State University. The university was not aware of any such analysis. They did note that Phillips had taken a tour that was open to the public and leased office space in a in the same office park as the HPCC, albeit a separate building.
The film alleges two women in Yuma, AZ were engaging in unlawful ballot collection and that they had shared that information with the sheriff there. The sheriff denies the claim. The sheriff did state he was investigating a range of alleged voter misconduct issues for over a year, none of which were related to claims made in the film.
True the Vote did not cooperate with Georgia election officials in their investigations. The Georgia State Election Board subpoenaed True the Vote in April 2022 for its documentation. The GBI examined the True the Vote allegations in 2021, but did not find sufficient evidence to open an investigation. The GBI noted that data provided by TtV counted "visits" that were as much as 100ft from the drop boxes. GBI noted that cell site location information used by TtV is far less accurate than GPS data.
Many factual errors, omissions, implausible claims in the film, with persons involved unable to back up any of their assertions in an evidentiary way. D'Souza even admitted to Philip Bump that the movie does not show evidence to prove his claims.
Phillips called press who demonstrated the lack of proof and errors "journalistic terrorists." Asked if he provided any evidence to law enforcement, Phillips stated he'd given data to the AZ attorney general. The office of the AZ attorney general said they never received any such information. Phillips declines to discuss the methodology used in the film.
In an AP survey about drop boxes sent to state election officials in May 2022, 45 states responded, reporting no instances of drop boxes being connected with voter fraud or stolen ballots, and only a handful of cases where boxes were damaged.
The film is a fiction of bits and pieces that fit the narrative, including unsubstantiated speculations, baseless claims, and outright lies. When they say things that are not true, like claims they worked with law enforcement when they, in fact, did not, they are lying. That's not the only example from what I've noted, above. So given the multiple lies they have told, how can a one put any stock in what they claim?
***
Now, the sad thing is that, even though the film is totally without any sort of evidentiary merit, it will continue to be referenced as a touchpoint for a community that subscribes to the mythos it describes. That community feels rejected and unheard by a wider world. It feels close and respected within its own bounds. Continual participation in that community is difficult to impossible for persons who no longer believe in the central mythos. That, in turn, builds a resistance to any information that undermines the mythos.
There was a researcher who attended flat earth meetings. He had a dinner with one of the participants and they discussed a phenomenon: one can go 60 miles east of Chicago on Lake Michigan and still see the skyline. Even though the curvature of the earth places the top of the skyline below the horizon, there it is. The flat earth believers point to that as evidence the world lacks curvature. Persons outside that community respond that the view is possible because of some optics conditions created by the lake, atmosphere, temperature variations, and that, 100 miles east on Lake Michigan, those optics conditions no longer hold and the skyline - real or mirage - will not be visible.
So the researcher asked the flat earth believer if he'd be willing to take a boat out on Lake Michigan to 60 and then 100 miles east of Chicago and have a look for himself. It would be a friendly thing, and the researcher offered to pay for the whole thing. At first, the flat earth believer was willing, but then later expressed a concern that maybe it wouldn't actually prove anything and might be a waste of time and declined the offer.
It's one case, granted. But I've also seen footage of flat earthers conducting experiments to prove the earth is flat, then getting results consistent with the known curvature of the earth, and then concluding that, yet again, all their equipment must be faulty... and then proceed to NOT check their equipment or ask for a replacement. Taken collectively, it's the phenomenon of a community clinging to a belief in a mythos and finding ways to ignore, avoid, or rationalize anything that demonstrates the mythos is not an actual reality. As Pushkin said, they reject ten thousand truths to cling to the illusion that sustains them.
I read of conservative commentators and personalities who wanted nothing to do with 2000 Mules later get branded as RINOs or worse by those who wanted to believe that something as the film narrates actually happened. Rather than answer the valid criticisms, they made personal attacks and cut them off. It seems that it would be a simple matter to come forward with evidence to keep allies in their camp. But, without evidence, personal attacks and shunning is all they have to enforce discipline around the central myth.
Take care, friend, and I hope you can find your way out of the falsehoods.
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@Charger: MUFON puts out a lot of misleading and false information. It doesn't do anything to prove or disprove anything about extraterrestrial life, but it doesn't help research being done when they advance false claims.
Mufon pretty much just shows off footage that other people have captured of UEP's...sure they can sometime lay it on bit thick on the side of "it must be extra terrestrial" because most of them are believers but they also do very much investigate the sightings and have proven a whole bunch of them either fakes or natural phenomena...
It's that lay it on bit thick and jumping to conclusions that I was referring to. Clean those things out and the research becomes much better. :D
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^^^^^^
^^^^^^
Copying and pasting statements from liberal leaning websites is certainly not the way to discredit a documentary. Such sources have a track record of anti-Trump behavior.
I wish I had a boatload of time to expose each and every lie in your post, but I don't. So I will expose one of the easy ones. You claimed the following:
The film shows a geolocation map superimposed over a map of what they claim to be Atlanta. It was actually a map of Moscow.
The screen shot below shows, on the left, the actual geolocation map from a still shot in the 2000 Mules documentary. On the right is a map of Atlanta from Google Maps. It is obvious they are of the same area.
(https://i.postimg.cc/1RqwZ6NP/Atlanta.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
All the evidence in the world is never going to be enough for the Trump bigoted left or Trump bigoted people. Have a nice day.
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Er... Bill Barr, Ben Shapiro, Fox News, and Newsmax are not "liberal leaning websites". They were highly critical of D'Souza's film and the views expressed in it.
Of all the things, you picked the map one. Not any of the ones where election officials said there was no wrongdoing or that no investigations resulted from D'Souza's (or an associate of D'Souza's) notifying them of what they claim to have discovered for the film. Also did not take on any of the points where persons involved with the film were caught in a direct lie, where they made a claim about an interaction with a person or government entity that never happened. I don't think it would take boatloads of time to do a little homework and show some actual evidence for an extraordinary claim.
D'Souza himself pled guilty to felony campaign finance violations in 2014.
Back to the claims made in the film, there is zero paper trail. There's zero social media trail. In the 6 battleground states of 2020, there were a total of 475 cases of voter fraud. Of the fraudulent votes, not all were for Biden. Also, not all the fraudulent votes were even counted - many acts of voter fraud are caught because the submitted ballot is itself suspect and therefore, not counted. Virtually every case involved a single person acting alone, attempting to cast more than one ballot. In the case of Arizona, which had the highest ratio of fraudulent ballots to margin of victory for Biden, it was only 198 to over 10,000 - and not all of those 198 were for Biden, anyway. In many cases, the fraudulent votes were committed by persons who thought they could vote while on parole in states that did not allow that, or persons attempting to vote on behalf of relatives who couldn't make it to the polls. Some did try to vote for dead relatives - but, again, those involved Republicans as well as Democrats, and all were part of the 475 found fraudulent.
Back to claims that warrant some kind of response - the filmmakers claimed that they had data from ACLED that ACLED does not collect. The filmmakers also claimed to use computer systems for their data analysis that they did not use. I'm not asking for all the evidence in the world, I'm just asking if those lies have any sort of reconciliation. If not, they impeach the source - fruit of the poisonous tree and all that.
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Part of Ben Shapiro's concluding remarks about the documentary:
"I think the complete dismissal by the left about the allegations made in the film is unconvincing. In other words, more information is necessary, and I hope that law enforcement does take a look at cell phone data . . ."
And I agree with Ben. Law enforcement should step in and determine what is accurate and what is not with proper investigations. But of course many don't want to, because of fear as to what they may find. Just claiming someone's evidence is faulty, without proving it is faulty, is not worth anything.
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Shapiro makes a good point on this one...as he quite often does.
Honestly though I don't think conclusive proof one way or another can be found anymore...IF there was fraud I'm sure it was done quite masterfully.
US isn't some african dictator ship where they just dump the ballots to the nearest trash can and replace them with votes for the dictator...it is bit more sophisticated than that there I am sure!
The problem with election fraud is that when done right it is nearly impossible to prove and considering that the winner is in office his lackies (I'm saying lackies here because I don't think for a second Biden would even have the faculties to be part in something like this...) can do what ever they can to influence the investigation as well...
Either way those elections will leave a stain to the US election system forever no doubt about it...and hopefully something will change...I doubt it though.
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Law enforcement did get engaged and found 475 cases involving persons associated with both major political parties involved in voter fraud actions.
The evidence *is* proven faulty, and the persons putting it forward have made a number of categorical lies. While Mr. Shapiro did not want to see a complete dismissal, he nevertheless had questions of his own. But Mr. Shapiro's praise or damnation does nothing for addressing the fundamental lies being told. I focused on two: the ACLED data and the HPCC being used for data analysis. These are both critical elements of the entire story. If ACLED did not provide any data, then the part of the story that hinges on ACLED data falls apart. If HPCC was not used for data analysis, then the whole data analysis story is tainted with a lie. If there was no data to analyze and no facility used to analyze the data that wasn't there, then the film comes down to nothing more than speculation without grounding in actual facts.
As for detecting election fraud, it's typically done by the party currently in power in a constituency and done to impact all elections, not just one. "When done right" is in a constituency where local judges and law enforcement are sympathetic to the party with local control and take the form of not prosecuting clear violations. Election fraud is done to keep the ruling party in power. The truth of the matter of the US Presidential Election of 2020 is that in many Republican-held constituencies, people did not vote for Trump as much as they voted for their own local Republican politicians. In Texas, for example, Senator John Cornyn got 4% more votes than Trump and carried Tarrant and Williamson counties, both of which went for Biden in the presidential election. Maine went for Biden (all but one electoral vote), but voted in a Republican senator. Trump simply failed to present himself as a candidate preferable to Biden, and the majority of voters as well as the majority of electoral votes confirmed Biden as the popular choice for president, even if the election of a Democratic president did not translate into broader Democratic victories down-ballot.
If one wants true one-party rule in the USA, it must involve control of the presidency, both houses of Congress, and an overwhelmingly partisan judiciary. Any person involved in national politics knows that failure to control any one of those will result in full political power being thwarted. If there was a conspiracy to elect Biden by stealing the election and then that conspiracy failed to get another 11 Democratic senators to slam-dunk his agenda, then that conspiracy was dumb. And if that conspiracy was dumb, it would have left a massive paper trail. There was no paper trail, no alleged tampering on the part of the ballots that elected Republicans in non-presidential races, so I'm going with the facts at hand: It was a clean election, and there was no massive fraud.
So, explain to me ACLED and HPCC. Otherwise, it seems like you're avoiding the actual meat of the issue. Happy to let you have Ben Shapiro's faint praise and I'll not even contest the map thing. But if there's no good answer for ACLED not giving them info and a flat lie about the data analysis, then this is some flat-earth-equivalent stuff. There are plenty of ways to be a modern conservative in the USA without resorting to flat-earth-equivalent nonsense. If there's no good answer for ACLED or HPCC, then I refuse to put trust in the words of a person who pled guilty to felony campaign finance violations. He's demonstrated that he was willing to break the law to support his political faction, so for him to just lie and make stuff up is well within that range. For him to holler conspiracy is conceivably to distract from something much worse being done by the faction he supports. So, ACLED and HPCC - both, or this is groundless partisan rantings.
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I think it's time to put a pin on this conversation...it's heading nowhere fast.
One is oblivious to facts pointing towards tampering and vice versa.
Agree to disagree on the subject and it's time to move on to something else we can jibber jabber about. :)
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Okay Charger, I'll respect your order. You are probably right about the conversation going nowhere anyhow, because any statement I disprove would never be enough. I prove 1 statement to be a lie, "but you didn't prove this is a lie." Then I prove this a lie, "but you didn't prove that is a lie." And it goes on forever.
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Not an order buddy just a heavy hearted suggestion... :)
There indeed is no end in sight for this.
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No worries. No matter what, I love you guys.
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Project Veritas does it again, exposing an Assistant Principal at a Greenwich Connecticut public school admitting that he does not hire Catholics because they tend to be conservative.
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So Queen Elizabeth II has just died. I'm not a royalist, but it's still a sad moment. She was 96 and had been Queen for 70 years. She had failing health but was still doing her duties including only this last Tuesday she accepted the resignation of Boris Johnson and the appointment of Liz Truss as the new Prime Minister.
King Charles (the III if he keeps that name) and many of the family were with her.
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I loved hearing the story of how she demonstrated how women could drive to the Saudis. She had been an Ambulance driver in WW2 and took them on a harrowing Range Rover cross-country ride. :D
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It is really the end of an era.
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Part of my home state of Massachusetts is the swanky island of Martha's Vineyard, where many wealthy folks live. Even the Obamas have a residence there, I hear.
This passed Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent two small planes to Martha’s Vineyard and dropped off approximately 50 migrants who had illegally crossed the border. Well somebody must of given a quick call to my governor, because he sent 120 national guard troops, and in less than 24 hours later the migrants were being bussed out, heading to Joint Base Cape Cod.
Here's the best part. This sign is proudly displayed to the general public on the island.
(https://i.postimg.cc/MHx53Wpg/MV.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Yeah they really "stand with immigrants", except when the immigrants come to their neighborhood. Does the term f#$king hypocrite come to mind? :doh:
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:rofl:
That's so typical of that type though isn't it...?
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I read about that Martha's Vineyard fiasco. Not a lot of open doors when what they like to virtue signal about actually comes knocking.
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So let's break this all down...
1. The Florida officials told the asylum seekers that if they got on the planes, they'd be flown to Boston to receive jobs and housing.
2. People at Martha's Vineyard provided the asylum seekers with food, water, and other resources. Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/desantis-marthas-vineyard-migrants-texas-b2168475.html
3. Martha's Vineyard lacks long-term refugee settlement resources, so that's why the emergency was called: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had effectively signed off on a plan to lie to asylum seekers and drop them in a place that did not know they were coming and that had no resources on hand for a long-term solution.
4. Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent 100 asylum seekers, including Venezuelans, to Vice President Kamala Harris' residence in Washington, DC.
5. These asylum seekers were on the road for over 30 hours. Two of them, including an infant, were taken to the hospital because of the rigors of the trip.
6. Again, the Republican governor signed off on lying to them - in this case, promising food, shelter, and jobs in New York City if they got on the buses.
So, if putting defenseless civilians on to transportation and lying about what awaited them is something you want to celebrate, I feel very sorry for you. The story is not that places unable to handle immigrants were suddenly faced with a significant care crisis. It's that two Republican governors and a large swath of the party feels that such an inhumane political stunt is justified.
US Rep Bill Keating, whose district includes Martha’s Vineyard, said in a statement that “history does not look kindly on leaders who treat human beings like cargo, loading them up and sending them a thousand miles away without telling them their destination.”
What DeSantis and Abbott did was inexcusably inhumane and cruel. They engaged in human trafficking for their selfish political gain. And why these and why now?
They both signed off on anti-abortion laws so restrictive, they essentially close the door on any say a woman has in her pregnancy. The laws are similar to ones in other states that have been used to prosecute both woman and gynecologists involved in miscarriages and successfully send them to prison. These laws are ferociously unpopular and threaten to be issues that unseat them in November.
So, to distract from their legislation that strips women of significant rights, they engage in this pair of cruel political stunts and push the story that, somehow, the people who were unprepared to receive migrants were hypocrites. In actuality, the people at those destinations moved to provide aid to fellow human beings and get them to better shelter after they had been lied to, kidnapped, and abandoned by opportunistic politicians.
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So let's break this all down...
...
The entire situation is an embarrassment. First: these are living, breathing human beings trying to better their lot in life. Second: We have a problem with our borders. Third: It seems everyone in a position to effect practical change used those folks to further their own agenda. Were they given transport? Yep. Were they lied to? Yep. Were they given food, water, etc. when they arrived at Martha's Grapeville? Yep.
Fourth: The folks at Martha's Vineyard helped those folks to the extent that they were then able to have them carted off to somewhere else. They aren't setup to handle immigrants like that? No doubt. So what?
No one there said, "Hey, let's convert <some place> into a temp housing, and find these people gainful employment. Get their children into school. Help them build their new life."
They said, "Sorry, we're not setup for this kind of thing. Here's a Dasani while you wait for your bus out of here."
Fifth: is it unreasonable of me to expect a community to shift gears in the face of an unexpected (and wholly unwarranted) situation? Somewhat. But not entirely. Those folks had the opportunity to become directly involved in bettering someone else's life, and it wasn't worth the challenge or sacrifice to do so.
That is bad optics. Regardless of the actual situation.
And finally, sixth: Those assholes that shipped the immigrants to Martha's Vineyard should have their collective ass kicked. That was some Nazi brain-fucking they did to those folks. And they are well aware that all they had to do was make a call and they could have sent them to somewhere appropriate. But that doesn't garner headlines.
And they used those people like cattle. Fuck them and Martha's Vineyard. Both of them had the chance to be something great for someone else and they chose not to.
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1. It was the Biden administration's open border policy that greatly increased the problem to begin with. I wonder how many people died on their journey to the border after hearing about this change in policy.
2. Small border towns sure have less ability, than Martha's Vineyard, to deal with the hundreds of migrants flooding in each and every week.
3. What DeSantis did was simply call their bluff. The MV residence claimed "we stand with immigrants" and "all are welcome here." Their phoniness is now exposed.
4. In my local area we have decided to change the name "Martha's Vineyard" to "Hypocrite Island." ;D
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Now here's something:
https://jalopnik.com/marked-cop-cars-targeted-by-catalytic-converter-thieves-1849540691 (https://jalopnik.com/marked-cop-cars-targeted-by-catalytic-converter-thieves-1849540691)
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1. It was the Biden administration's open border policy that greatly increased the problem to begin with. I wonder how many people died on their journey to the border after hearing about this change in policy.
2. Small border towns sure have less ability, than Martha's Vineyard, to deal with the hundreds of migrants flooding in each and every week.
3. What DeSantis did was simply call their bluff. The MV residence claimed "we stand with immigrants" and "all are welcome here." Their phoniness is now exposed.
4. In my local area we have decided to change the name "Martha's Vineyard" to "Hypocrite Island." ;D
You wonder in your first point - that tells me you have no data, it's speculation. If you're going to say "greatly increased", we need numbers there.
You also speculate on services available at the border. Here's a hint: border towns frequently have better plug-ins to immigration facilities than areas further north.
What DeSantis did was cruel, treating people as disposable. He just signed a law that claims to treat every life as precious and then he does this action that treats life as anything but precious.
He lied to 50 people, telling them that services awaited them at their destination and then sent them into a place that was completely unprepared to receive them. Let's focus on that aspect: are you cool with acts of cruelty such as that?
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1. It was the Biden administration's open border policy that greatly increased the problem to begin with. I wonder how many people died on their journey to the border after hearing about this change in policy.
2. Small border towns sure have less ability, than Martha's Vineyard, to deal with the hundreds of migrants flooding in each and every week.
3. What DeSantis did was simply call their bluff. The MV residence claimed "we stand with immigrants" and "all are welcome here." Their phoniness is now exposed.
4. In my local area we have decided to change the name "Martha's Vineyard" to "Hypocrite Island." ;D
You wonder in your first point - that tells me you have no data, it's speculation. If you're going to say "greatly increased", we need numbers there.
You also speculate on services available at the border. Here's a hint: border towns frequently have better plug-ins to immigration facilities than areas further north.
What DeSantis did was cruel, treating people as disposable. He just signed a law that claims to treat every life as precious and then he does this action that treats life as anything but precious.
He lied to 50 people, telling them that services awaited them at their destination and then sent them into a place that was completely unprepared to receive them. Let's focus on that aspect: are you cool with acts of cruelty such as that?
The number of illegal border crossings per month are at record highs under Biden. You can easily find those numbers. Stop with the dumb guy act.
Small border towns are overwhelmed with hundreds a week crossing. Again, can easily be found.
DeSantis reiterated what my state was claiming. It's a sanctuary place, we stand with you, all are welcome. It was my state that lied, not him.
Biden flew hundreds of migrants in the dead of night all over the country without telling anybody. Where were the complaints then?
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No, Typhon, I want you to post the numbers that you claim justify your points. That's how debates work. Can't say, "I'm right, look up the proof yourself." This is not a "dumb guy act". Also, I think you intended that comment as an insult to me, but I won't receive it as such.
Massachusetts has so far taken in the migrants and hasn't shipped them back to Florida or anything like that, so no lies on Massachusetts' part.
And I didn't ask if someone else had flown migrants - but I did look up on that story - those flights attributed to Biden were authorized under the DHS' purview as reuniting family members who had been separated at the border. So those are legal and compassionate, to boot.
As opposed to DeSantis' act of cruelty. And, again I ask, are you cool with that? Straight up question, yes or no, are you cool with an act of cruelty such as DeSantis did?
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This is not a "dumb guy act". Also, I think you intended that comment as an insult to me, but I won't receive it as such.
There was no insult. Acting like a dumb guy means you are not actually a dumb guy. A tactic some people use when they don't want to admit something to be true is to pretend they don't know or understand. I believe you knew that the average number of illegals crossing the border per month is way higher under Biden, but you were pretending to not know this fact. So, if anything, I was indicting that you knew more than you say. So, there was no insult.
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Well, I am glad then that I didn't take it as a slam.
But what I do know is that illegal immigration peaked in 2000 and has fallen off sharply since then. So if you have data to support something to the contrary, I would like to be pointed to it.
But that still doesn't answer the main question I had, which is underscored now by a class-action lawsuit against DeSantis and accounts of another trip being organized and then abandoned after the public reaction to the first batch of flights - are you accepting of DeSantis' act of cruelty?
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^^^^^^
Sense you apparently don't know the truth of how Biden has caused this crisis, I'll let this guy explain how it came about. He sites specific laws and shows the data.
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Data is not a YouTube video from a partisan. It looks like this: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/11/09/whats-happening-at-the-u-s-mexico-border-in-7-charts/
Which does show border encounters increasing following Biden's accession in 2021. It also shows the majority of border encounters result in immediate expulsion. But we also see legitimate asylum claimants from failing Communist regimes in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/19/u-s-mexico-border-arrests-record-2022/
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But my issue is not about whether or not there is a spike in border encounters. My issue is your seeming strong support for an act of cruelty done by Governor DeSantis. I've asked in simple terms several times for your response to confirm whether or not you support it and you keep putting forward responses to other items.
And I find DeSantis' act of cruelty to be even more disturbing after I find its connection to the "Reverse Freedom Rides" of 1962. In 1962, as Freedom Riders drove across the South, risking their lives to protest the inhumanity of segregation, the White Citizens' Councils across the region responded by approaching Blacks with bus tickets to the Kennedy compound in Hyannis, promising their marks that the Kennedys were awaiting them with open arms, jobs, and benefits. Over 200 were sent North in that fashion. Southern propaganda claimed that the Kennedys and people of Massachusetts were hypocrites for not taking care of the Blacks. The reality was that then, as now, the White Supremacists lied to people that they already held in contempt and saw as disposable towards the furthering of their political goals.
So let me be crystal clear: there is nothing currently happening along the border or with immigration or with asylum that justifies a naked act of racial discriminiation such as DeSantis and Abbott perpetrated. For these men to take a page from the Segregationist playbook and then be applauded for it by their own party shows how racist and hateful the Republican Party has let itself become. It is a political coalition dominated by ideas on the wrong side of history: anti-abortion, nativism, and racism. Nobody forced or tricked DeSantis and Abbott into using White Supremacist tactics from the 1960s: the actions came easily to them and their supporters easily approved of them.
I do not now and never will approve of acts in which people are lied to and then abandoned. And I do not hold responsible the people at the site of the abandonment for the ill-treatment of the abandoned, but, rather, those who created the situation in the first place for their own benefit are responsible for the damages done.
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Nobody forced or tricked DeSantis and Abbott into using White Supremacist tactics from the 1960s: the actions came easily to them and their supporters easily approved of them.
The same tactics used by actual nazis in the late 30's, and by the folks in Dahomey in the 18th century, and no doubt a whole litany of others throughout history. Man's inhumanity to man is a constant. Obviously, these immigrants weren't being sent to an extermination camp or sold into slavery, but the process of manipulating people in an uneven power balance scenario is the same.
I do not now and never will approve of acts in which people are lied to and then abandoned. And I do not hold responsible the people at the site of the abandonment for the ill-treatment of the abandoned, but, rather, those who created the situation in the first place for their own benefit are responsible for the damages done.
I basically agree - my contention with the folks at the Vineyard (or the city of Chicago for another example) is that they had an opportunity to be something better for those immigrant groups and chose not to. Despite the unexpected nature of the situation they were facing, a lot could have been done that I think would have elevated them in the eyes of the country and shown those immigrants that even though some of the authorities in America are no different than the selfish tyrants in their own banana republic, they are the unfortunate exception and not the rule.
What DeSantis did was inexcusable. His attempt at defending his actions were mealy-mouthed nonsense. And I am of the opinion that our borders should be tightly controlled. But if you are here, and under the control of our authorities, they either need to send you back or help you get setup here. Not use you to score political points with your constituents.
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I can't agree with the claim that what DeSantis did was cruel. He's not the one who put up the sign on Hypocrite Island saying everyone is welcomed. And, like Vyn says, the people there had the opportunity to prove DeSantis wrong and do something for the migrants. But they didn't. I will agree that it would be cruel of DeSantis to send more migrants to Hypocrite Island now that he knows those residence are lying pieces of shit. But for merely testing the integrity of the residence, certainly not.
Now, here is a brief report on the increasing number of dead bodies being discovered at the southern border because of more people trying to cross. You want to use the term cruel? Well the Biden immigration policy is responsible for these extra deaths. Now that's cruel!
https://air.tv/?v=0sXZS8YWQiGX7VzeEnn7Xw
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OK, then. If you're good with segregationist-era tactics, we're going to be at an impasse on that discussion. You also supported the Trump policy of forcibly separating children from their parents, so I'm not accepting lectures on cruelty from you without your being comprehensive in your review of the flaws of US immigration policy. If all you get out of this is how the Democrats are bad and fail completely to acknowledge any flaw in Republican policy, then you've got a one-sided view that I don't want to engage with.
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You also supported the Trump policy of forcibly separating children from their parents
Wasn't that policy implemented already during the Obama administration but only became public after Trump got into the office?
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You also supported the Trump policy of forcibly separating children from their parents
Wasn't that policy implemented already during the Obama administration but only became public after Trump got into the office?
It was not. The Trump application of the policy was novel to that administration, both in use case expansion and making the application of the policy much broader than originally intended.
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Hmmm...maybe...I do recall similar treatments though during the Obama era....And well it's not that unheard of though...children are much more eligible for assylum than adults in many countries. And there have been many cases of parents sending their children in to the US alone in the mercy of coyotes....many of them suffered horrible fates.
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The Libertarian in me wants to see more open borders and allow for a freer exchange of populations. I see solutions for drugs and terrorism in better US foreign policy objectives and outcomes than what are currently used by either party.
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OK, then. If you're good with segregationist-era tactics, we're going to be at an impasse on that discussion. You also supported the Trump policy of forcibly separating children from their parents, so I'm not accepting lectures on cruelty from you without your being comprehensive in your review of the flaws of US immigration policy. If all you get out of this is how the Democrats are bad and fail completely to acknowledge any flaw in Republican policy, then you've got a one-sided view that I don't want to engage with.
This is not my view, but your interpretation of my view. So cut the bullshit. You just don't want to admit that under the Biden administration way more immigrants are dying.
You also supported the Trump policy of forcibly separating children from their parents
Wasn't that policy implemented already during the Obama administration but only became public after Trump got into the office?
That's exactly right. In fact, many migrants with children couldn't even prove the children were theirs. Some tried to enter with a child because they were told they were more likely to succeed if accompanied by a child. The news media play this up when Trump did it and were silent when Obama did it.
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Cut the bullshit, eh?
How is your view *not* a support of segregation? In these forums, you've made racist jokes and admitted them as such, you've made frequent citations of white supremacists' comments, and you've spoken highly of politicians who push white-supremacist friendly agendas. The evidence trail is clear and continuous. You are fine to crow about an act of cruelty until pressed on its cruelty and similarity to segregation-era tactics. Now, you avoid that question and give no yes or no answer on the matter. Your silence on the matter is deafening, Typhon. I see no vigorous denial that you do not support white supremacists, that you do not support policies that have negative racial bias inherent in their application, or that you do not align with politicians who leverage negative racial and cultural stereotypes for their political gain. If there is no denial, I have to conclude support, even if it is not a support that you feel bold enough to declare in a peer group. Your silence on the matter is deafening.
You even attempt to dodge the question of your support for segregationism and/or institutional negative racial inequality with a promotion of a Big Lie that justifies institutional negative racial inequality: Obama separated children, and nobody said nothing about it.
That is a massive lie that was cooked up to scramble to cover the disastrous Trump executive order that forcibly separated children. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_administration_family_separation_policy
The actual truth goes back to the pre-Trump policy of having family separations only in situations in which human trafficking, outstanding warrants, or fraud or other narrow circumstances. That was the fulness of the familial separations pre-Trump. Sparse in application, guided by established legal principles. The Obama modifications to the policy included provisions for ensuring that children were able to reunite with families and that the separations were no longer than 21 days.
The Trump executive order that forcibly separated families at the border had no provisions for reuniting families, in spite of claims to the contrary. The evidence shows that those claims were empty and that record-keeping was abysmal. We do not even know the full number of Trump-separated children, except that we know it is over 3000, and that it is likely several thousand more than 3000, but we do not know the full number due to terrible record-keeping under the Trump policy. As it was, when the policy was reversed and the children were being rejoined, residual records were able to rejoin only 60 families. The rest were matters to be resolved via investigation. Several hundred children were detained longer than 300 days, in spite of the Obama-era restriction that the detentions be less than 21 days still being in force.
The conditions the Trump separations inflicted on the children included overcrowding, lack of access to bedding, lack of access to running water for showering and drinking, lack of food, lack of health care, and lack of sanitation. At no point were detainees under the Obama or Bush, Jr. administrations subjected to such inhumane conditions. At no point did either of those prior administrations have a situation that was decried as "a human rights crisis" because they, unlike Trump, were not using forcible familial separations as a means of deterring illegal immigration.
By repeating the Big Lie, you have spoken in favor of forcibly separating families from their children, which connects back to your prior support of segregation-like tactics that were inflicted upon asylum-seekers. You claim that this is not your view, but my interpretation of your view, yet, you clearly come out with statements that indicate that this, in fact, is your view. If it is not, then you have an explanation to make to reconcile your support of the cruel and inhumane treatments doled out under the Trump administration and by his proteges in state governments.
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Okay let's cut that white supremacist shit right now...no one here is one and no one here condones that stuff so there is absolutely no reason to bring shit like that up...
Posts like that are not what this place is about.
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Okay let's cut that white supremacist shit right now...no one here is one and no one here condones that stuff so there is absolutely no reason to bring shit like that up...
Posts like that are not what this place is about.
Yeah, that rant did kind of shock me. I think Zzz believes that anything I say is race-based, when in fact I don't care what anybody's race is. It is kind of amusing to think that if the 50 illegals DeSantis sent to the Island were all white, I would have had the same reaction and then we would have no problem here. :))
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https://www.publicrightsproject.org/hb1
What is Florida’s HB1?
In April 2021, the Florida legislature enacted the Combating Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act, also known as HB1. Governor DeSantis was explicit: HB1 was a direct response to—and a means to oppose—the summer 2020 Black-led protests advocating for racial justice and an end to police violence.
HB1 not only strips the power of local governments to control their own budgets—including reducing or reallocating law enforcement budgets to fund social services—but threatens the community with criminal sanctions for protests, violating our First Amendment right to Free Speech, and forces municipalities to crack down on public dissent (or risk huge financial penalties threatening essential community services).
Decades of local organizing and the mobilization of the Movement for Black Lives, coupled with the fury and protests ignited by the murder of George Floyd, has catalyzed significant momentum for police reform in our country. But police reform can’t happen if Governors like DeSantis preempt the power of local governments, and actively undermine calls from the community for lawmakers to uphold their constitutional promise — to serve “we the people.”
While preemption is inherently a neutral tool — where a higher level of government restricting the ability of a lower level of government — here in HB1 it’s dangerous, unconstitutional, and racist. HB1 undermines local governments’ autonomy and silences Florida residents’ ability to call for change in their community – particularly people of color, who stand to lose the most. By inserting himself into local-decision making, the DeSantis Administration actively harms cities and violates the Florida Constitution.
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https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/desantis-anti-riot-law-united-nations-rcna45623
It’s official: Ron DeSantis has literally turned Florida into an international embarrassment.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Tuesday issued a report examining discrimination across the globe that name-checked Florida House Bill 1, an oppressive anti-protest law pushed by DeSantis, the state's Republican governor.
In its report, the committee — made up of 18 members, including a representative from the United States — said it's "concerned about reports of increasing legislative measures and initiatives at the state level that unduly restrict the right to peaceful assembly following antiracism protests in recent years, such as the HB1 Combating Public Disorder law in Florida."
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https://www.splcenter.org/news/2022/03/23/family-separation-timeline
Nov. 29, 2021 – The reunification task force reports that 2,248 children are now known to have been reunited with their families in the U.S. and that it knows of 1,703 who have not been reunited. An additional 206 are in the process.
Due to pressure from Republican lawmakers, compensation from those harmed by the Trump EO is not on the table and due to the same pressure, Biden is unable to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation, so the abuses of the Trump era continue. Essentially, if we want those to end, the Republicans need to stop being the legislative roadblock that they are.
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-maralago-hurricane-ian-b2178829.html
Half of Florida is underwater and in need of emergency assistance and Trump is begging for donations to cover his legal fees. As shameful as Governor Greg Abbott going to a fundraiser in Huntsville, Texas, in the hours following the Uvalde school massacre. Just shows how Republican politicians will choose fat cat donors over helping the little guy, time and again.
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Mass shooting in a small town between Dallas and Austin: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/mcgregor-texas-shooting-victims-suspect-b2180053.html
I recently read statistics showing that Republican-ruled states have the highest rates of gun-related violence. They either lack ideas or convictions to provide legislation that would secure the basics of security and tranquility for their constituents.
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Right-wing nutcases prefer conspiracy theory to actually knowing how hurricane season works:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/qanon-hurricane-ian-lauren-witzke-deanna-lorraine-b2184996.html
It would be one thing if these were just random people with goofy ideas, but these are persons that the Republicans have put forward as actual candidates for the US House of Representatives and Senate, national-level offices. Completely unhinged minds at the core of the party.
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Think on this.
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Already did: the answer is "Yes, yes they are."
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3497052-republican-officials-keep-stoking-white-supremacist-tropes-and-were-reaping-the-result/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/09/06/opinion/maga-republicans-are-variant-disease-is-white-supremacy/
And it all goes back to the "Southern Strategy" that Republicans adopted to pick up white supremacists defecting from the Democratic Party over civil rights issues. Over the last 50 years, politics transformed first on the national level, with white supremacist voters splitting their ticket with a Republican presidential vote and Democratic local votes in the 60s and 70s, and then progressively changing local party affiliation from Democratic to Republican as the Democrats refused to continue endorsing white supremacist politicians and the Republicans gladly picking up those candidates.
The same measures to suppress Black votes at polling places by the Democrats prior to 1964 are now being used by Republicans after their party politicians worked to overturn the Civil Rights measures to protect minority votes, including a gutting of the Voting Rights Act.
Trotting out members of minority groups to defend policies that have their roots going all the way back to post-slavery white supremacy is no surprise and carries no currency. Politics of racism is full of paradoxes like that. It's ultimately like defending a murderer by saying, "no way is this guy a murderer, some of his best friends are alive!"
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https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/ron-desantis-hurricane-biden-florida-b2184613.html
When in Congress, DeSantis and other Republicans voted *against* aiding states hit by superstorm Sandy. Now that half of Florida is underwater, DeSantis appreciates how Americans can all come together to vote for federal aid for stricken states. Absolutely gutting hypocrisy in playing politics of division when a disaster hits states with predominantly Democratic voters, but trying to play across-the-aisle style when it's states with Republican voters getting hit with disaster.
Democratic politicians don't play that game - they'll fund disaster support, regardless of where it strikes, because the party has a humanitarian core absent from the grasping, manipulative Republicans.
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https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/04/republicans-america-first-caucus
MTG and other Republicans in Congress are starting a White Supremacist "America First" caucus. Hmmm... doesn't sound like anything someone against racism would want to be part of, yet there are plenty of Republicans willing to sign on to it.
Recalling also how MTG openly speculated that California wild fires were started by orbital laser beams operated by Jews - so let's add Jew-hating to the list of things that the modern Republican Party incubates and promotes as part of its strategy of catering to extremist hate groups for political support.
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The view from Tel Aviv:
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2022-09-08/ty-article/.highlight/republicans-embroiled-in-more-antisemitism-controversy-in-pennsylvania/00000183-1d5d-da56-a3c3-ff7dbbab0000
At a Pennsylvania rally, antisemitism reared its ugly head with "Hitler should've finished the job" type comments gaining traction and support. The Republican candidate has recruited white supremacist organizations and antisemitic groups to support his campaign.
But, of course, a single YouTube video of a black guy talking about conservatives demolishes all the evidence at hand and proves that the fears of a resurgence in American racism, including antisemitism, are totally unfounded. <-- SARCASM, of course. Anybody can put any old tripe on YouTube, there is no gatekeeper there for separating fact from fiction. The facts on the ground are at complete odds with the fantasies that allow Republicans to pretend they are not promoting racism or antisemitism while supporting and integrating those very streams of thinking into their political platform.
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https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/09/gop-republican-party-antisemitism.html
Going back a few weeks ago to the Trump rally in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, referenced in the Haaretz article above. The founder of the Patriot Freedom project, Cynthia Hughes, spoke about how her nephew Tim Hale-Cusanelli was mistreated because of his conviction over participation in the Trump-influenced attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2020. The audience reacted sympathetically.
Here's a selfie of Mr. Hale-Cusanelli:
(https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/ef0/e9f/32bdbb620ce7547b72bb8abd75e9b5c3a1-hale-cusinelli.rhorizontal.w700.jpg)
In the investigation of Mr. Hale-Cusanelli, 34 of his former colleagues in the US Navy reported that he had expressed “extremist or radical views pertaining to the Jewish people, minorities, and women.” This is the guy who said "Hitler should have finished the job" that got the folks back in Israel very concerned about the Republican Party's embrace of antisemitism.
And that guy in the photo is now a martyr for the Republican cause, a sign of the hold antisemitism has gotten on the Republican Party. When white supremacists and antisemites like Mr. Hale-Cusanelli do the heavy lifting and street fighting for the Republican Party's ground game, they get rewarded in the form of legislation that caters to their hateful agenda, including suppression of minority voting rights, hardline anti-immigrant legislation, and a blind investigative eye towards their acts of violence directed against minorities, including attacks on synagogues and other places of worship.
Guys like Pat Buchanan got forced out of the Republican Party in the 90s when they went antisemitic. Now, they're coming back in through the front door. Trump used antisemitic tropes to attack Hillary Clinton in 2016, and he and his followers continue to use them to this day.
The Republican nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano, has hired Gab to promote his candidacy - Gab, of course, is a haven of ultra-right nationalism, antisemitism, and racism, with Gab's chief executive Andrew Torba openly embracing antisemitism and endorses Mastriano as a fellow Jew-hater: "We don't want people who are Jewish." - Andrew Torba, Gab CEO
When challenged, Mastriano weaseled. He said he renounced antisemitism and then did nothing to criticize Torba or forego his support. It's like the playbook for Republicans is to deny being racist, but then to carry on being racist. Totally transparent to outsiders and only allows them to keep doing what they're doing while paradoxically thinking that they're not doing it. Utter illusion.
Meanwhile, over in Wyoming, the Republican Party there is encouraging its members to follow it on Gab, calling it "an awesome platform". The facts on the ground tell a story totally at odds with the words Republicans say when they get caught in their racism and antisemitism.
In the 90s, antisemites were too marginal to pose danger to the Party if they were cut loose and their votes not courted. Now, it's people like Liz Cheney who get cut loose while the antisemites are kept close in the fold. Antisemites like Gosar and Taylor-Greene are kept on without censure because antisemite voters are critical to Republicans' hopes of electoral success.
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The last two paragraphs of the last article I posted are compelling:
Prosecutors have found that Trump’s January 6 rally attracted a significant number of people who share Hitler quotes, hold membership in neo-Nazi organizations, have a fixation with “white genocide,” and the like, making the party leadership’s desire to sweep the whole thing under the rug all the more dangerous. Whatever misgivings the remaining old-line Republicans may have toward the militant cadres Trump inspired, Republicans fear their political and even terroristic power. They no longer imagine they have the gatekeeping force to exclude the antisemites, less still to steer the party away from the kind of paranoid rhetoric that invites their participation.
The GOP’s overriding goal is to win, and it has decided this means accepting the support of anybody who will provide it. For three-quarters of a century, antisemites were locked out of major American politics or at least had to keep their bigotry quiet. Now the door is open.
It's simple math, and I figured it out back in 2013. If you don't want to be associated with racists and antisemites, don't stay in the Republican Party. I got out then, and I'm glad I did, because I'll have nothing to do with an organization that opens its arms more and more to these deplorables. Celebrates it, even, gladly accepting the name "deplorables" as something of a badge of honor that they get criticized for openly courting white supremacists, antisemites, and Christian Identity groups for their political coalition. That should not be celebrated, that should be a warning sign.
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Okay this thread isn't about news anymore it's just anti conservative hate fest...
Let's put a pin in it.
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Some really local news: had a fox walk into my garage the other day while I was in it. About 0530, still dark. I was as startled as the fox - no injuries to report and the fox absconded to parts unknown.
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Oh that's cool! Foxes are fun.
There used to be one that ran around here few years ago...it came pretty close to me few times in the evening as I was walking around...followed me a bit. Found out later that an old lady neighbour had given it some sausages and it became rather tame with her...don't know what happened to it as it just disappeared...
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There are groups of grey and red foxes that run around here - usually they stay far away from anyone. I know the little dude that showed up in my garage had no idea there was someone in it. I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye and swing around to look. That caught the fox's attention and we both froze, looking at each other. stood there for about four seconds, then the fox spun around and ran off. Was a red fox.
I know if I sat food outside I'd end up with God knows how many critters up in my shit all the time. The foxes come around my place because we have rabbits that like to nest around it. Coyotes come around looking for foxes, opossums come around because that's what they do. Deer come around because there's 15 acres of managed field behind me, and every once in a while I'll see a bobcat.
Other visitors include skunks, moles, groundhogs, and one time in the 16 years I've been here a mountain lion. All of these critters are regulars except the mountain lion of course. Bobcats usually only see them once a year.
So, I don't leave food out haha.
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Hahah! Yeah best not.
I don't leave food out either...sometimes I take out some cat food for the hedgehogs but I'm expecting Sly or one of the neighbourhood cats actually eating it...
There (reportedly) are some bobcats running around here too but I have never ever seen one. But they are quite rare here.
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No mountain lions here, but we'll get coyotes in daylight from time to time. Most of our critters here are birds, squirrels, possums, and trash pandas aka raccoons.
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Humm. . .
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"We're twins because we share the same soul."
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And the answer to your man's question is Trump, by Trump's own words: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-rant-mitch-mcconnell-elaine-chao-b2188074.html
Sorry, but actual quotes beat dudes musing on YouTube. :) I didn't even have to search for this one, it was in the day's headlines.
Just to be clear, I'm not posting to bash conservatives, I'm posting because it's a response to a previous allegation that was unfounded and false. If we'd rather cancel the political discussion as a community, I'm all on board with that. I don't start the discussions and I'm happy to not have them as part of the discourse here.
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How do we deal with climate change? Looks like better building codes. Here's a story about a Florida city that made it through Ian because of the improvements in how it was built, laid out, and powered.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/new-florida-community-designed-for-resilience-survived-hurricane-ian-virtually-unscathed/
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Problems with math? Get an abacus, kid! :D
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/boy-struggling-at-school-is-now-a-math-genius-after-his-mom-taught-him-to-use-an-abacus-which-may-help-todays-children/
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Sorry, but actual quotes beat dudes musing on YouTube.
Okay, you got it.
Joe Biden Quotes:
— Barack Obama is “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”
— “You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.”
— “Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids.”
— “Unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things.”
— “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.”
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Sorry, but actual quotes beat dudes musing on YouTube.
Okay, you got it.
Joe Biden Quotes:
— Barack Obama is “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”
— “You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.”
— “Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids.”
— “Unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things.”
— “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.”
Good news is that Biden's quotes are still printable. Mr. Trump's go for the full epithets. And then there's the voting/policy records, which themselves tell a full story. But if Biden's "he means well, but golly!" quotes make you pale, then I caution you to be seated and relaxed before you delve into Trump's open courting of white supremacist groups, as he's got much harder stuff in there.
But I'd much rather not dwell on such picking at nits - I'd rather focus on the good in the world.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/renewables-met-100-of-the-rise-in-global-electricity-this-year-in-2022/
The good news here is that by developing renewable sources of energy, we're diminishing our need for carbon-based energy production and are making progress towards a healthier planet.
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This one is interesting...
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/undersea-cable-to-funnel-3-gigawatts-of-solar-energy-from-egypt-to-europe-via-greece/
Will it work? Well, there's already a similar cable from Morocco to Devon in England, and it carries 10 gigawatts. That would be something to have the Sahara become a source of renewable energy for a large chunk of Europe.
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Breakthrough in plastics recycling, we may be able to do something with those bags, after all:
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/polyethylene-recycling-breakthrough-from-berkeley-lawrence-lab/
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But if Biden's "he means well, but golly!" quotes make you pale,
No, they don't make me pale. He's your guy, not my guy. Besides, your the one that asked for actual quotes. But when I give you his actual quotes, which expose him to be the racist he really is, suddenly actual quotes aren't all that important. This honestly makes me feel like I am arguing with a 5 year old.
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But if Biden's "he means well, but golly!" quotes make you pale,
No, they don't make me pale. He's your guy, not my guy. Besides, your the one that asked for actual quotes. But when I give you his actual quotes, which expose him to be the racist he really is, suddenly actual quotes aren't all that important. This honestly makes me feel like I am arguing with a 5 year old.
Maybe you're arguing with someone who really doesn't want to argue?
Last few times I've had my blood pressure taken, it's been higher than in the past. I know I'm getting older and all, but I still want to do things to reduce overall stress. I like coming here to have friendly discussions on sports, music, TV, weather, all kinds of things. But this political stuff gets my BP up, and I can live without it. I can also live without that "arguing with a 5 year old" bit. We are better than that here, aren't we?
You're going to vote your way, and I'm going to vote mine. I'd much rather we talk about better things that we can come together on than to harp on divisions.
Now, you asked for your response, and so I shall provide it in citing the Trump administration's record on Civil Rights. Actions speak so much louder than words:
2017
On January 27, Trump signed an executive order – the first version of his Muslim ban – that discriminated against Muslims and banned refugees.
On February 3, the FCC rescinded its 2014 Joint Sales Agreement (JSA) guidance, which had led to the only increase in television diversity in recent years.
On February 7, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy supporting H.J. Res. 57, a resolution under the Congressional Review Act to overturn a Department of Education accountability rule that clarifies states’ obligations under the Every Student Succeeds Act. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights opposes this resolution.
On February 9, Trump signed three executive orders “to fight crime, gangs, and drugs; restore law and order; and support the dedicated men and women of law enforcement.” The orders, though vague, were viewed suspiciously by civil rights organizations.
On February 27, the Department of Justice dropped the federal government’s longstanding position that a Texas voter ID law under legal challenge was intentionally racially discriminatory, despite having successfully advanced that argument in multiple federal courts. The district court subsequently rejected the position of the Sessions Justice Department and concluded the law was passed with discriminatory intent.
On March 22, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy supporting H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights opposes. The White House issued a statement supporting the Senate’s motion to proceed to this legislation on July 24.
On March 29, The Washington Post reported that the Department of Education decided to terminate the Opening Doors, Expanding Opportunity grant program, which helps local districts devise ways to boost socioeconomic diversity within their schools.
In a March 31 memo, Sessions ordered a sweeping review of consent decrees with law enforcement agencies relating to police conduct – a crucial tool in the Justice Department’s efforts to ensure constitutional and accountable policing. The department also tried, unsuccessfully, to block a federal court in Baltimore from approving a consent decree between the city and the Baltimore Police Department to rein in discriminatory police practices that the department itself had negotiated over a multi-year period.
On April 3, Attorney General Jeff Sessions tried to back out of a consent decree to address civil rights violations by the Baltimore Police Department.
On April 13, Trump signed a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, which overturned the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ final rule updating the regulations governing the Title X family planning program – a vital source of family planning and related preventive care for low-income, uninsured, and young people across the country.
On May 10, Sessions announced in a two-page memo that DOJ was abandoning its Smart on Crime initiative that had been hailed as a positive step forward in rehabilitating drug users and reducing the enormous costs of warehousing inmates.
On May 11, Trump signed an executive order creating the so-called Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity headed by Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has a history of trying to suppress the vote in Kansas.
On May 23, Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget proposed eliminating the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and transferring its functions to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This would have impeded the work of both the OFCCP and the EEOC as each have distinct missions and expertise, and would have thereby undermined the civil rights protections that employers and workers have relied on for almost 50 years.
On June 28, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division sent a letter to 44 states demanding extensive information on how they maintain their voter rolls. This request was made on the same day that President Trump’s so-called Commission on Election Integrity sent letters to all 50 states demanding intrusive and highly sensitive personal data about all registered voters.
On August 1, The New York Times reported that the “Trump administration is preparing to redirect resources of the Justice Department’s civil rights division toward investigating and suing universities over affirmative action admissions policies deemed to discriminate against white applicants.” In a move without recent precedent, this investigation and enforcement effort was planned to be run out of the Civil Rights Division’s front office by political appointees, instead of by experienced career staff in the division’s educational opportunities section.
On August 7, the Justice Department filed a brief in the Supreme Court in Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute arguing that it should be easier for states to purge registered voters from their rolls – reversing not only its longstanding legal interpretation, but also the position it had taken in the lower courts in that case.
On September 15, the Department of Justice ended the Community Oriented Policing Services’ Collaborative Reform Initiative, a Justice Department program that aimed to help build trust between police officers and the communities they serve.
On November 16, the Federal Communications Commission voted to gut Lifeline, the program dedicated to bringing phone and internet service within reach for people of color, low-income people, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities, with particularly egregious consequences for tribal areas. They also voted to eliminate several rules promoting competition and diversity in the broadcast media, undermining ownership chances for women and people of color.
On November 20, the Trump administration announced it would terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation in 18 months for approximately 59,000 Haitians living in the United States.
On December 21, it was reported that Sessions rescinded 25 guidance documents, including a letter sent to chief judges and court administrators to help state and local efforts to reform harmful practices of imposing fees and fines on poor people.
2018
On January 8, Trump re-nominated a slate of unqualified and biased judicial nominees, including two rated Not Qualified by the American Bar Association.
On January 8, the administration announced it would terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for nearly 200,000 Salvadorans.
On January 11, the Trump administration released new guidelines that allow states to seek waivers to require Medicaid recipients to work – requirements that represent a throwback to rejected racial stereotypes.
On January 16, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under Mulvaney’s leadership announced it would reconsider the agency’s payday lending rule.
On January 17, the administration announced its decision to bar citizens from Haiti from receiving H2-A and H2-B visas.
On January 18, the CFPB abruptly dropped a lawsuit against four online payday lenders who unlawfully made loans of up to 950 percent APR in at least 17 states.
On January 25, the Census Bureau announced that the questionnaire for the 2018 End-to-End Census Test will use race and ethnicity questions from the 2010 Census instead of updated questions recommended by Census Bureau staff. This suggests that the Office of Management and Budget will not revise the official standards for collecting and reporting this data, despite recommendations from a federal agency working group to do so.
On February 1, The New York Times reported that the Department of Justice was effectively closing its Office for Access to Justice, which was designed to make access to legal aid more accessible.
On February 1, reports surfaced claiming Trump’s Labor Department concealed an economic analysis that found working people could lose billions of dollars in wages under its proposal to roll back an Obama-era rule – a rule that protects working people in tipped industries from having their tips taken away by their employers.
On February 1, multiple sources reported that acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Mick Mulvaney had transferred the consumer agency’s Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity from the Supervision, Enforcement, and Fair Lending division to the director’s office. The move essentially gutted the unit responsible for enforcing anti-lending discrimination laws.
On February 12, the Trump administration released its Fiscal Year 2019 budget proposal, which would deny critical health care to those most in need simply to bankroll the president’s wall through border communities. The proposal would also eliminate the Community Relations Service – a Justice Department office established by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – which has been a key tool that helps address discrimination, conflicts, and tensions in communities around the country.
On February 12, the Trump administration released an infrastructure proposal that would reward the rich and special interests at the expense of low-income communities and communities of color and leave behind too many American communities and those most in need.
On March 5, the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education released a new Case Processing Manual (CPM) that creates greater hurdles for people filing complaints and allows dismissal of civil rights complaints based on the number of times an individual has filed.
On March 5, a Department of Housing and Urban Development memo announced Secretary Ben Carson’s consideration of revising the agency’s mission statement and removing anti-discrimination language and promises of inclusive communities.
On March 12, Attorney General Sessions announced the Justice Department’s ‘school safety’ plan – a plan that civil rights advocates criticized as militarizing schools, overpolicing children, and harming students, disproportionately students of color.
On March 14, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy supporting H.R. 4909, the Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights opposes.
On March 23, Trump signed a spending bill that included the STOP School Violence Act, which civil rights organizations are concerned will exacerbate the school-to-prison pipeline crisis, further criminalize historically marginalized children, and increase the militarization of, and over-policing in, schools and communities of color.
On April 6, Attorney General Sessions announced that he had notified all U.S. Attorney’s offices along the southwest border of a new “zero tolerance” policy toward people trying to enter the country – a policy that quickly, and inhumanely, separated hundreds of children from their families.
On April 10, a federal official announced that the Department of Justice was halting the Legal Orientation Program, which offers legal assistance to immigrants.
On April 10, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to push for work requirements for low-income people in America who receive federal assistance, including Medicaid and SNAP.
On April 17, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy supporting S.J. Res. 57, a resolution under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s guidance on indirect auto financing. The sole purpose of the resolution is to undermine the ability of the CFPB to enforce laws against racial and ethnic discrimination in auto lending, which is why The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights opposes it.
On April 25, Secretary Ben Carson proposed changes to federal housing subsidies that could triple rent for some households and make it easier to impose work requirements.
On April 26, the Trump administration announced it would terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation in 12 months for approximately 9,000 Nepalese immigrants.
On May 4, the Trump administration announced it would terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation in 18 months for approximately 57,000 Honduran immigrants.
On May 18, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it would be publishing three separate notices to indefinitely suspend implementation of the 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule.
On May 24, Trump signed the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, which will undermine one of our nation’s key civil rights laws and weaken consumer protections enacted after the 2008 financial crisis. The law rolls back more expansive Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data requirements for banks that generate fewer than 500 loans or lines of credit each year, thereby exempting 85 percent of banks and credit unions.
On June 12, the Department of Justice sued the state of Kentucky to force it to “systematically remove the names of ineligible voters from the registration records.” This voter purge lawsuit was filed one day after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Ohio’s voter purges in Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute.
On June 18, Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, announced that the United States was withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council.
On June 27, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy supporting H.R. 6139, the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights opposes.
On July 3, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos rescinded guidance from the Departments of Justice and Education that provides a roadmap to implement voluntary diversity and integration programs in higher education consistent with Supreme Court holdings on the issue.
On July 10, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced cuts to navigator funding for outreach to hard-to-reach communities for the fall 2018 Affordable Care Act open enrollment period.
On July 25, the Department of Education proposed new borrower defense rules, which would further exacerbate inequalities – making the already unfair and ineffective student loan servicing system even more harmful to all students, particularly to borrowers of color. The proposal would strip away student borrower rights, end key deterrents of predatory school conduct, and make it nearly impossible for students hurt by school misconduct to get loan relief.
On July 26, the Trump administration failed to meet a court-ordered deadline to reunite children and families separated at the border.
On August 13, Secretary Ben Carson proposed changes to the Obama-era Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, which aimed to combat segregation in housing policy.
On August 30, the Department of Justice filed an amicus brief opposing Harvard College’s motion for summary judgement in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard, choosing to oppose constitutionally sound strategies that colleges and universities use to expand educational opportunity for students of all backgrounds.
On September 5, the Trump administration sent sweeping subpoenas to the North Carolina state elections board and 44 county elections boards requesting voter records be turned over by September 25. Two months before the midterm elections, civil rights advocates worried this effort would lead to voter suppression and intimidation.
On September 6, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services announced a proposal to withdraw from the Flores Settlement Agreement. The Flores Agreement is a set of protections for underage migrant children in government custody.
On October 16, the administration released its fall 2017 Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The document details the regulatory and deregulatory actions that federal agencies plan to make in the coming months, including harmful civil and human rights rollbacks.
On October 19, the Department of Justice ended its agreement to monitor the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County and the Shelby County Detention Center in Tennessee, which addressed discrimination against Black youth, unsafe conditions, and no due process at hearings.
On October 30, Axios reported that Trump intends to sign an executive order to end birthright citizenship. In a tweet the following day, Trump said “it will be ended one way or the other.”
On November 7, on his last day as Attorney General, Jeff Sessions issued a memorandum to gut the Department of Justice’s use of consent decrees.
On November 8, the Department of Labor rolled back guidance issued by the Obama administration that clarified that tipped workers must spend at least 80 percent of their time doing tipped work in order for employers to pay them the lower tipped minimum wage.
On December 11, Trump declared that he would be “proud to shut down the government” – which he did. It resulted in the longest government shutdown in U.S. history (35 days), which harmed federal workers, contractors, their families, and the communities that depend on them.
On December 18, the Trump administration’s School Safety Commission recommended rescinding Obama-era school discipline guidance, which was intended to assist states, districts, and schools in developing practices and policies to enhance school climate and comply with federal civil rights laws.
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2019
On January 3, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is considering rolling back disparate impact regulations that provide anti-discrimination protections to people of color, women, and others.
On January 4, The Guardian reported that the Trump administration has stopped cooperating with and responding to UN investigators over potential human rights violations in the United States.
On January 25, the Department of Homeland Security began implementing the Migrant Protection Protocols – also known as the Remain in Mexico policy – which forces Central Americans seeking asylum to return to Mexico, for an indefinite amount of time, while their claims are processed.
On January 29, the Department of Justice reversed its position in a Texas voting rights case, saying the state should not need to have its voting changes pre-cleared with the federal government. Career voting rights lawyers at the department declined to sign the brief.
On February 6, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) – under the direction of Trump-appointed Director Kathy Kraninger – released its plan to roll back the central protections of the agency’s 2017 payday and car-title lending rule.
On February 22, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule to significantly undermine the Title X family planning program’s ability to properly serve its patients and to provide its hallmark quality care. The rule’s provisions will have far-reaching implications for all Title X-funded programs, the services provided, and the ability of patients to seek and receive high-quality, confidential family planning and preventive health care services.
On February 25, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights supports.
On April 12, Politico reported that the Trump administration will not nominate (or renominate) anyone to the 18-member U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
On April 17, the Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed a rule (eventually published on May 10) seeking to restrict housing assistance for families with mixed-citizenship status. The agency’s own analysis showed that the proposal could lead to 55,000 children becoming temporarily homeless.
On May 6, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule targeting home care workers – who are mostly women of color – designed to stop them from paying union dues and benefits through payroll deduction.
On May 6, the Office of Management and Budget proposed regulatory changes that could result in cuts in federal aid to millions of low-income Americans by changing how inflation is used to calculate the definition of poverty.
On May 24, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a proposed rule to weaken the non-discrimination protections (Section 1557) of the Affordable Care Act. The rule, if implemented, would harm millions of people in America by allowing health care providers to deny care to marginalized communities and worsen already existing health disparities.
On June 6, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a final rule that delayed the compliance date for the agency’s 2017 payday and car-title lending rule.
On July 15, the administration moved to end asylum protections for most Central American migrants – deeming anyone who passes through another country ineligible for asylum at the U.S. southern border.
On July 15, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing H.R. 582, the Raise The Wage Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights supports.
On July 23, the Trump administration published a notice in the Federal Register that expands expedited removals to a wider range of undocumented immigrants. The move threatens same-day deportation for anyone who cannot immediately show they have been in the United States continuously for two years without a hearing, oversight, review, or appeal. It also threatens to trigger massive racial profiling and roundups for immigrants and citizens in the United States.
On July 23, the Trump administration proposed a rule that could cut more than 3 million people from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – or food stamps – after Congress blocked similar efforts in 2018.
On July 25, Attorney General William Barr announced that the federal government will reverse a nearly two-decade moratorium to resume the federal death penalty.
On July 31, Bloomberg Law reported that the Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to issue a proposed rule to amend the agency’s “disparate impact” regulations that provide anti-discrimination protections to people of color, women, and others. If enacted, millions of people in America would be more vulnerable to housing discrimination – with fewer tools to challenge it. The proposal was officially published in the Federal Register on August 19.
On August 7, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided seven food processing plants in Mississippi and arrested 680 undocumented immigrants – representing the largest workplace raid in more than a decade. The raids – part of this administration’s dangerous, anti-immigrant agenda – left some children parentless and locked out of their homes after school.
On August 16, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sent letters, first reported in the Boston area, stating that the agency will no longer consider most deferrals of deportation for people with a serious medical condition – asking people in extreme medical need to leave the country within 33 days.
On August 21, acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan announced that the administration was moving forward with new rules aimed at ending the decades-old Flores settlement agreement that ensures constitutional protections for children in immigrant detention facilities. Without the protections of Flores, the government can hold immigrant children indefinitely, and in prison-like conditions, with no hope for a timely release and no mandate for appropriate care of traumatized children.
On August 28, the Trump administration announced that some children born to U.S. military members and government employees working overseas wouldn’t automatically be considered U.S. citizens.
On September 11, multiple reports confirmed that the Trump administration would not grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Bahamians impacted by Hurricane Dorian. The denial of protected status follows the Trump administration’s termination of the TPS designation for several other countries.
On September 17, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing H.R. 1423, the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal (FAIR) Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights supports.
On September 24, the Department of Labor released its final overtime rule, which raises the salary threshold to an amount far lower than the Obama Labor Department’s previously finalized rule.
On October 23, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing H.R. 4617, the Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights supports.
On November 1, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a rule to undo requirements that its grantees ensure that federal taxpayer dollars are not used to fund discrimination.
On December 3, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights supports.
On December 10, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) revealed a proposed rule that would prohibit the use of official time by union representatives to assist in federal workplace anti-discrimination claims.
On December 18, Attorney General William Barr announced the launch of Operation Relentless Pursuit, which was projected to funnel $71 million to law enforcement in seven cities – Albuquerque, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis, and Milwaukee – under the guise of combating violent crime. Operation Relentless Pursuit replicates the most devastating aspects of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which flooded America’s streets with cops and dramatically increased incarceration rates, especially in Black and Brown communities.
On December 30, the Department of Labor announced a proposed rule setting out new standards for when the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs could issue predetermination notices for preliminary findings of discrimination. The rule would make it more difficult to identify and remedy potential discrimination in federal contractor and subcontractor workplaces, negatively impacting the right of federal contract workers to be free from unlawful employment discrimination.
2020
On January 3, the Trump administration filed a brief in June Medical Services v. Gee, urging the Court to allow a Louisiana abortion access law to go into effect. The civil rights community filed briefs urging the Court to strike down the restrictive law, highlighting the law’s impact on Black women.
On January 7, the Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a proposal that would gut the agency’s 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule. HUD’s proposal would leave people of color, women, and other protected communities already harmed by unfair and unequal housing policies at a further disadvantage.
On February 5, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing H.R. 2474, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights supports.
On February 25, the Department of Justice sided with the plaintiff, Students for Fair Admissions, to oppose race-based affirmative action at Harvard University in a friend-of-the-court brief filed in the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
On April 30, the Department of Education issued guidance, flouting congressional intent under the CARES Act, that directs school districts to share millions of dollars designated for low-income students with wealthy private schools.
On May 26, the Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in an Alabama federal court in support of the state’s onerous absentee ballot requirements that put Black voters and voters with disabilities at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On June 1, police officers and the National Guard dispersed peaceful protesters outside the White House using teargas and flash-bang explosions so that Trump could pose for photos, while holding up a Bible, in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
On June 12, the Department of Health and Human Services issued its final rule rolling back the non-discrimination protections (Section 1557) of the Affordable Care Act. The rule will promote discrimination in medical care.
On June 24, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights supports.
On June 24, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing H.R. 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights supports.
On June 24, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy supporting H.R. 3985, the Just and Unifying Solutions To Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights opposes.
On June 25, the Trump administration filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that the entire Affordable Care Act should be invalidated – saying “the remainder of the ACA should not be allowed to remain in effect.” The brief was filed in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
On July 7, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued its final rule on payday and car-title lending – undoing consumer protections and threatening to devastate communities of color that are already facing the worst fallout of the pandemic.
On July 7, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a notice in the Federal Register proposing changes to the Civil Rights Data Collection, including removal of several questions regarding school and district characteristics, discipline, school finance and data disaggregation.
On July 16, the Commission on Unalienable Rights (the formation of which was announced in July 2019 by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo) released a draft report to the public. Experts described the report as undermining decades of human rights progress.
On July 23, Secretary Carson terminated the Obama-era Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, replacing it with a new rule called “Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice.” AFFH aimed to combat segregation in housing policy.
On August 6, Trump appointed J. Christian Adams to serve on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) and was sworn in one week later. Adams, who was a member of the president’s sham voter suppression commission, was appointed to the USCCR on the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.
On August 18, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) signaled its intent to create burdensome new rules for its conciliation process that could tip the scales in favor of employers and potentially expose workers who file workplace discrimination claims, as well as potential witnesses, to retaliation.
On August 21, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing H.R. 8015, the Delivering for America Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights supports.
On September 2, Trump sent a memorandum to the attorney general and the director of the Office of Management and Budget that threatened to pull federal funding from “anarchist jurisdictions” – cities “that are permitting anarchy, violence and destruction.” This was also viewed as a political move targeting cities where people are protesting police brutality and systemic racism.
On September 3, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued an opinion letter abandoning its long-standing interpretation of Section 707 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
On September 4, the Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a final rule that severely weakens the disparate impact tool under the Fair Housing Act, which will make millions of people more vulnerable to housing discrimination.
On September 4, Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent a memo to the heads of executive departments and agencies instructing them to end anti-racist trainings that address white privilege and critical race theory – caalling them “divisive, anti-American propaganda.”
On September 8, a whistleblower complaint from a Department of Homeland Security official alleged that top DHS officials, including Chad Wolf and Ken Cuccinelli, directed analysts to downplay threats from violent white supremacy and Russian election interference.
On September 22, Trump issued an executive order prohibiting federal agencies, federal contractors, and grantees from engaging in anti-discrimination workplace diversity trainings the administration deemed “divisive.”
On September 22, the Department of Labor proposed a rule that would make it easier for employers to misclassify workers and deny them minimum wage and overtime protections.
On September 24, the Department of Housing and Urban Development issued its final rule to gut the disparate impact tool under the Fair Housing Act, which will make it harder to challenge systemic racism by housing providers, financial institutions, and insurance companies that deprive people of the services and opportunities they need.
On October 1, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing H.R. 8406, the HEROES Act, which The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights supports.
On October 6, Microsoft revealed that the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) contacted the company over its commitments to increasing diversity. According to Microsoft, “the OFCCP has focused on whether Microsoft’s commitment to double the number of Black and African American people managers, senior individual contributors and senior leaders in our U.S. workforce by 2025 could constitute unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, which would violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.” The OFCCP contacted Wells Fargo for the same reason.
On October 8, a Justice Department memo suspended all diversity and inclusion training for the department’s employees and managers in compliance with Trump’s recent executive order banning anti-bias trainings.
On October 21, Trump signed an executive order that could expand his ability to hire and fire tens of thousands of federal employees. The order would allow federal agencies to reclassify certain workers, which would strip them of job protections. The national president of the American Federation of Government Employees referred to the order as “the most profound undermining of the civil service in our lifetimes.”
On November 2, Trump signed an executive order establishing the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission to “promote patriotic education.” The commission, teased by Trump in remarks on September 17, was viewed as a political move aimed at censoring the teaching of American history and as an attack on The New York Times’ Pulitzer-Prize winning 1619 Project, which details this nation’s history beginning when the first enslaved Africans were brought to America.
On November 9, in a memo to U.S. attorneys, Attorney General William Barr authorized the opening of election fraud investigations “if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State.” The memo, for which there was no factual basis, was viewed as an attempt to sow chaos and led to the resignation of Richard Pilger, director of the DOJ Criminal Division’s Election Crimes branch.
On December 8, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy opposing the conference report to accompany H.R. 6395 – the National Defense Authorization Act. Their opposition was based in large part on the inclusion of language that would rename all bases and other military assets named for the confederacy.
On December 12, Justice Department lawyers acknowledged that the expulsion of 66 unaccompanied migrant children (without a court hearing or asylum interview) by U.S. border officials represented a contravention of a November district court ruling.
2021
On January 18, which was MLK Day, Trump’s 1776 Commission issued a report calling for “patriotic education,” comparing progressivism to fascism and communism, and justifying the nation’s founding on the basis of slavery.
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So, in the face of Trump's administration's policies that took America back into segregationist laws by wiping out Civil Rights provisions that had been made from 1964 onward, I'd say Biden's comments - which are belied by his actual record on Civil Rights - are not such a big deal.
So now comments from Trump himself:
“You Don’t Want to Live With Them Either” - Trump's response to a 1973 lawsuit about Trump's racial discrimination in housing at properties he owned.
“Bring Back the Death Penalty” - Part of Trump's crusade to lynch the Central Park Five in 1989, whose guilt he insisted in campaign speeches in 2016, in spite of the CP5's convictions being vacated on the basis of DNA evidence and the confession of the actual criminal.
“They Don’t Look Like Indians to Me” - Trump attempting to block the creation of a Connecticut casino on tribal land that would compete with his Atlantic City casino operations.
“Our Very Vicious World” - Trump pitched a season of The Apprentice in 2005 that would pit Black businesspeople against White businesspeople. While that concept did not see air time, Trump's treatment of Black contestants did air, and did generate controversy.
“He Doesn’t Have a Birth Certificate” - Trump casting unjustified aspersions on Barack Obama's citizenship.
“On Many Sides” - Rather than condemn the outright murder of a counter-protester in Charlottesville on 12 August 2017 by white supremacist marchers, part of a group chanting "Jews will not replace us" and "Blood and soil", Trump denounced "this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides." He paused and repeated, "On many sides." In actuality, only the white supremacists had beaten to death DeAndre Harris, a black man. Only a white supremacist drove his Dodge into the crowd, killing Heather Heyer, a white woman, and injuring 35 others. Trump promoted an idea of false equivalency in order to shield white supremacists from the blame that rightly should have fallen on them.
On 14 August, Trump walked back his statement and condemned the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups. On 15 August, he walked back the walk-back with his comment about "very fine people on both sides" and accusing the alt-left of being violent. The truth, again, was that the far-right groups had brought the violence to Charlottesville, and the far-right groups where overwhelmingly racist in their policy platforms.
“Go Back to Their Huts” - Trump on what people in "shithole nations" would never do if they immigrated to America. To underline Trump administration racist policy, three times as many federal aid workers were sent to Houston after Harvey than to Puerto Rico after Maria and the federal government approved aid for Harvey that was 23 times as much as that for Maria.
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Now, again, I'd like to set this stuff aside. We've got better things to do than go around and around in arguments. I'd much rather stick to things that are where we can find common ground or at least non-partisan discussions about.
Like this fellow in England who started a walking group to help men address mental health issues:
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/englishman-creates-a-mental-health-walking-group-just-for-lads-like-him/
There's quite a lot of stigma associated with mental health issues in England, particularly among men, and it's good to see someone taking positive steps to help in that area.
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Here's one: save on shipping costs by growing the lettuce in the store!
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/fresh-lettuce-is-grown-right-inside-supermarket-for-shoppers-to-take-home-without-packaging-a-hydroponic-garden-in-a-fridge/
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Now, again, I'd like to set this stuff aside.
Well that is wonderful. Say all you want to say in record breaking lengthy posts, and then claim we should "set this stuff aside". Now I don't want to insult you or make your blood pressure rise, so let me just say that this is yet another indication of speaking with a very young person. So I won't talk about the reams and reams of data from Joe Biden's more than 4 decade long history of policy making that harmed minorities. I'll just set it all aside. I'll end this conversation by giving you one last piece of advice: Keep on getting more booster shots.
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It's set aside, then. Let's please keep it all set aside.
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https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/meditation-could-protect-older-people-against-alzheimers-according-to-new-research/
It's preliminary research, but holds out promise about mental mindfulness and challenging activities can help to forestall dementia. I'm excited about this finding and hope more research is done along that line.
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Great story about Cards cornerback Antonio Hamilton visiting a burn victim unit.
https://www.azcardinals.com/news/for-burn-victims-antonio-hamilton-and-teammates-bring-hope
Hamilton had a journey through a burn unit himself and he's helping to let people know there's a light of hope that shines.
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I worked for a children's hospital for quite a few years, and when I first started they took me on a tour of the various departments and care units. The burn unit was especially tough - those nurses that can debride a 4 year old and come back the next day are a special kind of person. I would not be able to do it.
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Yeah, It's a tough, tough job. Much respect for the people who do it day in and day out.
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Brilliant work with making wind turbines safer for wildlife and more efficient:
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/mini-wind-turbines-for-rooftops-up-to-50-more-power-and-no-spinning-blades/
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The UK is looking for its 3rd Prime Minister in a matter of weeks... Liz Truss has bowed to popular opinion and resigned after just 45 days in post (by far the shortest tenure in history... George Canning died after 119 days in 1827).
Truss says a replacement will be in place by next Thursday.
Main achievements in those 45 days. Shook hands with the Queen who died 2 days later. Announced a mini budget which caused the UK economy to implode and had to be U-Turned a few weeks later!
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Most disasters per day of tenure, then? :smug:
Granted, "Queen dying" is not Truss' fault, but she'll still be blamed for it because it happened on her watch, such is the public's willingness to fix responsibility for random events on the top leader of the day. But the budget leading to economic crisis, that's all her government.
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I made mention of it in the other thread, but yeah, it was pretty clear that Ms. Truss's decision to roll out her economic plan and then turn right around and flop the other direction was based on the flimsiest of knowledge.
I'm not sure how she could have wanked things up more.
Edited to add:
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Yes, I saw that bit about lettuce lasting longer than Liz Truss... lettuce also had a better mini-budget, from what I gather.
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I read this today, what a woman! Foster mother to 92 children!
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/towering-statue-unveiled-in-london-to-honor-a-national-hero-youve-probably-never-heard-of/
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This is NOT a Halloween prank...the commander in Senile...I mean commander in chief actually said these things...
https://nypost.com/2022/11/01/biden-suggests-he-spoke-to-doctor-who-invented-insulin-and-died-before-he-was-born/?utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=SocialFlow (https://nypost.com/2022/11/01/biden-suggests-he-spoke-to-doctor-who-invented-insulin-and-died-before-he-was-born/?utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=SocialFlow)
Lying about his son dying in the Irak war is quite a feat...
This guy really does speak out of his ass...
Can't really see him being much better than Trump with his obvious lies either.
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That's at least the second time President Biden has stated his son died in Iraq. Regardless of what "maybe this, maybe that" scenario I attach to it, the end conclusion I draw is that President Biden needs some medical attention.
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Yeah, he old. I know he got support for saying he was going to do just one term, but I'm sure there are people pushing he does a second term for reasons. Across the board, I'd like to see some younger persons coming forward for national leadership. But with longer lifespans, politicians who have been waiting for "their turn" can wait a long, long, LONG time indeed. And with the offices that have no term limits, they can decide that "their turn" has no sell-by date.
In other news, this story brought me great big smiles:
https://london.ctvnews.ca/zamboni-halloween-costume-is-labour-of-love-for-dad-and-special-needs-son-1.6133030
(https://london.ctvnews.ca/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2022/10/31/easton-oetting---sarnia---oct-2022-1-6133042-1667255536898.jpeg)
I'm nominating that legend for Dad of the Year 2022!
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Yeah, that's pretty cool - and that kid looks like he's having a great time!
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Gotta confess, I wish I had a Zamboni to tool around in... :D
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This from Peter King's Football Morning in America:
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/11/07/jets-bears-justin-fields-peter-king-fmia-week-9/?cid=nbcsports
The Jason Jenkins Award
Lawrence Guy, defensive end, New England. Last week, Guy and his wife Andrea hosted their second annual baby shower for new or expectant single mothers in Massachusetts. While in labor for the couple’s third child, Andrea shared a hospital room with a woman who was without supplies and a support system after giving birth, inspiring the Guys to help her personally, but furthermore to help others like her. The Guy Family Foundation baby shower includes gifts and necessities to help mothers meet the demands of parenthood – like diapers, car seats, blankets, and strollers – and also provides a support network in the form of the Patriots Women’s Association.
:) Good news, that one. Good news. :)
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Read this excerpt from Jimmy Johnson's book:
Johnson, on his son Chad’s trials with alcohol:
“I didn’t even realize Chad was having a problem. He became an alcoholic. I mean, I could tell you stories that he went through. Just devastating, because I didn’t even know it was going on. He went to a couple rehab centers. I’d lay in bed at night, crying my eyes out. Saying, ‘I’d give a million dollars if somebody could get him back on track.’ When he absolutely did hit rock bottom, we got him into a halfway house. Next thing, he started getting better. He ends up taking over the halfway house. He took over the whole facility. He went and got doctors and consultants to get it certified as a rehab center and they became just unbelievably successful … Now, he’s opening another one up in Austin. I would go and I’d sit in the audience next to Chad, and, like, a mother and daddy would go up to the podium. They’d have all the recovering alcoholics and all their families there. The mother and daddy would say, Chad, thanks for saving my son’s life.
“And then a mother would go up. She told this story. Chad, you picked up my daughter at 3 o’clock in the morning and drove her around for four hours talking to her and then took her to detox. Thanks for saving her life. I mean, I’m tearing up now just talking about it. Businesses had tried to buy Chad’s facility and he said, Daddy, I’m not in it to make money. He said if a business bought it, they’d have like one counselor for 10 or 20 clients. We have one counselor for every four clients. That’s why we’re successful. He said I don’t care about making money; I’m doing something to help people. I mean, it’s such a success story that I’m so proud. When I talked to him, I said listen, I had a couple undefeated national championship teams, as a player, as a coach. Won a couple Super Bowls. College and pro football hall of fame. Broadcasting hall of fame. Nothing that I’ve ever accomplished comes anywhere close to what you’re doing in saving people’s lives. I mean, it’s touching to me.”
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Apparently Horses down under are snoblind!
https://www.news.com.au/sport/superracing/queensland-horse-tests-positive-for-cocaine-following-win-in-200000-race/news-story/0dd51fed8a98daba91855f9be71f3332 (https://www.news.com.au/sport/superracing/queensland-horse-tests-positive-for-cocaine-following-win-in-200000-race/news-story/0dd51fed8a98daba91855f9be71f3332)
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A coke-snorting horse, wow...
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Not unusual down here. Been a few horses that have tested positive to cocaine over the years including a couple from a leading female trainer. Makes them run quicker apparently 8)
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Horse should have been racing in Illinois: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-02-16-0502160251-story.html
True, the story is from 2005, but it does note that horses don't need that much coke to have a major pain-reducing effect, allowing them to run harder. And in Illinois at the time, that amount of cocaine was OK in equine drug tests.
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Looks like after 4 years of total idiocy and financial chaos we're finally getting rid of the crazy left wing government and getting a proper sensible one!
Maybe this will finally be a step upwards again for the Finnish economy.
And as an icing on the cake the candidate I voted got through as well...a first timer so I am happy for that as well!
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The UK are hosting the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday. The annual coming together of European countries to sing songs at each other... and vote for a winner. Although some other non-European countries take part such as Israel and Australia and I'm sure Morocco took part a very long time ago... and, of course, some countries are banned or can't be bothered.
Anyway, last year Ukraine won (a sympathy vote under the circumstances but it would probably have done ok anyway), and the UK came second. For some strange reason the Ukraine can't host year so the UK are hosting on their behalf. It's being held in Liverpool and there is wall to wall coverage of it!
I can't stand this annual garbage...
... and I hope we never host it again. If you don't hear from me tomorrow it's because I've hibernated with a bottle of alcohol Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime!
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I've heard of Eurovision, but didn't know anything about it.
Well, now I know a few more things regarding Eurovision, haha! I searched for them online and hit their website.
https://eurovision.tv/ (https://eurovision.tv/)
For me, it put to truth the words of KiloDeltaCharlie.
But, one thing KCD did not mention is that they have a multitude of products for sale. All of them branded with "Eurovision Song Contest". They even have tattoos at 5 euro a pop. Wooooo *cough*, *choke*, oooo.
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Yeah I'm not a fan of eurovision at all... Usually it seems to be the shittiest song wins type of thing...and it's not really about the music it's about the preformer.
Once upon a time Finland did win with Lordi's Hard Rock Hallelujah which actually wasn't a half bad song...but I think they won more because they were Lordi and all the masks and makeup.
One year I remember a transvestite won! The song was horrible and that beared (YES it was a BEARDED tranny!) bastard couldn't sing a note. But he won because he was a tranny.
There has been the occational good-ish song to win though...I remember some years ago Denmark won and that song was actually pretty good...And Abba won back in the 70s I think.
But yeah...I won't be watching, eventhough Finland is actually a fan favourite to win...but the song is just fuckin' horrible! HORRIBLE I tell ya!
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Yeah, Abba won in '74 and went on to have a stellar career (not my cup-of-tea, but not everything is), but I doubt there have been that many winners who have gone on to be a success in the last 30+ years.
There was talk of the US having their own version, with each state taking part, but I don't know if that ever happened.
EDIT: Essentially what I'm saying is: winning this competition is a career killer that it probably wasn't before the 80s.
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I don't know how well established the artists are in the first place that take part in these Eurovision....atleast in Finland most have been total unknowns before entering the contest....part from few.
But one thing is for sure eurovision is hardly a career booster...usually these turn out to be one hit wonders.
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Wait, the UK is part of Europe? Or is it one of those "friendly outliers" like Israel and Australia? :smug:
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Brexiteers would love it if we could put a couple of outboard motors on the east coast and move the UK a little further from Europe than it currently is. However, the UK left the "European Union" not Europe! Many of the countries who take part in Eurovision are not in the EU such as Switzerland, Norway, Armenia, Belarus, Russia and so on.
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:smug:
So something like an image of Doggerland would make those types break out in spots, I'm guessing... :lol:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Doggerland.svg/800px-Doggerland.svg.png)
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Just saw that OceanGate recently took down its LinkedIn advert for an open submarine pilot position...
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^^^
No sub... no need for a pilot!
Seriously though they shouldn't have gone anywhere near the Titanic in that thing... it was rated for 4000m, just 200m more than the Titanic lies. When James Cameron went he was in a sub rated for 6000m, rule of thumb is if you need to go down a particular depth, use a sub rated 50% more than that.
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Agreed - they should not have been using that submersible for tourist trips to gawk at the Titanic 12,500 feet under the ocean's surface.
I keep reading about the carbon fiber used to manufacture the hull - it seems that if they had used the standard for such things, steel and titanium, it wouldn't have been an issue. Not sure why they chose carbon fiber. From what I gather it is very susceptible to damage in ways that aren't obvious, and it has a "shrink factor" under pressure that differs from the titanium and steel they used for the hull caps. So even though they had successfully used the craft before, every time caused (they speculate) changes in the carbon fiber structure that weakened it.
Especially bad news (as we now know) when you're dealing with ~6,000 pounds per square inch of pressure.
Did they build it with carbon fiber because it was cheaper? Easier to acquire? Thought it was cool? It wasn't like Stockton Rush didn't have plenty of people warning him off of it, and he himself wasn't some no0blet. And it also wasn't like he was trying to explore new frontiers and had to make due with the mats he had available. It was a fucking tourist trip - dangerous? sure, but he seemed to have made it unnecessarily MORE dangerous. I just don't get it.
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They use carbon fiber in awesome supercars. Therefore it MUST be good for submarines, spacecraft, and toupees!
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Carbon Fiber is light weight and extremely durable why it seems to be rather ideal for submersibles. BUT as Vyn said it has different qualities than metals and as such can be more vunerable to damage.
Carbon Fiber requires a strong skeleton made of titanium to work properly.
Carbon Fiber is NOT cheap. So that couldn't have been the factor. I am assuming it was for weight purposes. And ofcourse if used right it can be just as strong as most metals...but in different ways. I do not know what the pressure capablities of it are.
But clearly the sub was not rated for such deep dives...or techincally it was but without any real margin...and with subs you want margin...a lot of it!
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But clearly the sub was not rated for such deep dives...or techincally it was but without any real margin...and with subs you want margin...a lot of it!
What are you, some kind of health and safety nutjob? If so, I'm 100% with you. :) I'm constantly worn down by organizations looking to save on their budget by cutting safety and security programs. In those cases, it's never a problem until it is, and when it is, it's a massive one.
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Yeah that's me! Health and safety always come third! ;D
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Pretty cool this one:
https://westsidebid.co.uk/2023/07/06/rock-legend-tony-iommi-presented-with-old-fossil-named-after-him-on-westside/ (https://westsidebid.co.uk/2023/07/06/rock-legend-tony-iommi-presented-with-old-fossil-named-after-him-on-westside/)
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Yeah, that's really cool.
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Feeling very sad about what's going on in Israel now...the palestinian terrorist scumbags have killed hundreds in their cowardly attacks and they've kidnapped and tortured innocent tourists as well.
And what is also very disgusting is that people like Kylie Jenner (who I couldn't care less about otherwise) showed her support to Israel she was bombarded by messages from anti semitist terrorist supporter asswipes and she was forced to take the post down...what the fuck is going on in the world?
We're seeing a country that has been in constant attack since it was founded (by people that were systematically persecuted and oppressed) from Islam once again being severely attacked by terrorist cowards. There should be unified support for Israel against the islamic terrorisim of palestine but no...the anti semitism is just too deep...absolutely disgusting.
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In the words of David Byrne: "Same as it ever was."
Unfortunately.
I could go on at length about the situation over there. But I'll just say this: Hamas has a charter, and in it is their reason for their existence. To destroy the state of Israel and exterminate the Jewish people.
And it is a very sad state of affairs.
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Can’t begin to understand the feelings of the Palestinian people with the history of what’s gone on between them and Israel but how anyone can defend what Hamas has done with these latest attacks is beyond me. They’ve actually gone over the border into Israel and killed innocent people going about their day including kidnapping young people who were enjoying a music festival, raped and tortured them to death. The footage of that young woman lying dead in the back of a pick up truck with obvious broken limbs that had been raped and brutalised and was being spat on as they drove through the crowd will haunt me for a long time.
It’s not even fitting to label them animals as not even animals would do such a thing. They are despicable creatures.
And just to add insult into injury, these protests that are going on in western countries in support of what Hamas has done is disgusting. Last night in Sydney the Opera House was to be lit up in the colours of the Israeli flag for members of the Jewish community to come and mourn, instead it was gatecrashed by pro Palestinian protesters who forewarned jewish people to stay away.
Disgusting!
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Fully agree...
Hamas is and has always been an organization of monsters. Just like Al Qaida. No difference. They just want death and torture. And most the pro-palestine anti semitic protests going on out there are absolutely disgusting. It's not about politics it's about hate plain and simple.
I am bit shocked that the US hasn't stepped in to support Israel....but then again seeing who sits in the white house it's not that surprising though.
Iran is supporting Hamas with full force so they need to be dealt with as well...Iran needs to be shut out of everything just as much as Russia.
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A number of politicians are voicing support for Hamas' actions and urging Israel to pull back. However, the official position of our government stands firmly with Israel. Just recently, Joe publicly denounced Hamas, reaffirming US backing for Israel. He emphasized that the US is prepared to provide Israel with any necessary support. I'm inclined to believe him. In a display of solidarity, we've stationed one of our aircraft carriers near Israel's coast.
Aircraft carriers aren't solitary; they're typically accompanied by several other vessels, like utility boats and destroyers. Naturally, Iran has raised objections to this move, but we've firmly expressed our stance. Moreover, major countries like France, Germany, the UK, and the US have jointly released a statement condemning Hamas' actions and urging other factions to avoid escalation.
It's concerning to see certain individuals, including three senators from my country, publicly endorsing Palestine's "freedom fighters". These individuals often advise others to "educate themselves" about the situation. However, they seem to overlook the fact that Israel, while certainly not blameless, has every right to defend itself, especially against groups like Hamas, who often use Palestinians as a means to an end.
Rarely do these individuals mention the atrocities Hamas has committed against their own people. It's heartbreaking to remember how Hamas has previously exploited children, positioning them at the forefront of conflicts to sway public opinion. Israel, faced with such tactics, has had to make tough choices to protect its own citizens.
The core of the issue isn't just about picking sides but understanding intent. Israel's objective isn't to harm civilians, let alone children, but to safeguard its own. On the other hand, Hamas seems willing to sacrifice their own people for their goals.
The facts are there for anyone to verify. Israel has had its share of extreme leaders, and the treatment of Palestinians in recent years has raised valid concerns. But understanding the entire situation requires recognizing the daily threats Israelis face.
A contentious issue remains the blockade of Gaza. Israel tightly controls the movement in and out of Gaza, and these decisions didn't materialize out of thin air. It's puzzling that those who criticize Israel's blockade often neglect to mention Egypt's similar restrictions on Gaza. This selective criticism is intriguing. Is it because of Israel's Jewish identity?
When critics tell me to "educate myself," my response is simple: I've dedicated considerable time and effort to understanding this complex issue. Life isn't always black or white, and understanding such conflicts requires a nuanced approach. In my view, those who unconditionally back Hamas are either ill-informed or may harbor deeper prejudices.
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You know, after thinking a bit about the kind of person that supports Hamas publicly, I think there is a third option: attention seeking. They don't actually care one way or the other about what's going on in Israel, so they choose to mouth-off in a way that they know will single them out for attention. Case in point - I just read that the president of New York University's Law Association (a student) supports Hamas. She, well, "they/it", also railed against the military industrial complex and some other unrelated stuff, and made it a point to indicate her (they?) pronouns. She's a clown that needs attention, thinks she is part of La Resistance by saying edgy things whilst eating cheese puffs and scrolling Tik Tok to see how many people are reading her diatribe.
Fuck her, she (or they/it/whatever) is worse than the people who support Hamas for real. At least they're honest and not using a horrific situation just to get their name in the papers.
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The whole affair is shit, all around the table. Hamas' attacks were horrific and brutally evil - no support at all from anyone with a sense of decency and justice, including many Palestinians who wish that, as a group, they'd all just stop making things worse for everyone. Israel's hits on civilian targets are also horrible things, and I can't support those, either. Any violence only continues the cycle of violence by making retaliation seem justified, while only obscuring more and more whatever originally started the cycle going in the first place.
And though Hamas has its strongest support in Gaza, all of Gaza is not supporting Hamas. The Gaza Strip is the third most densely-populated region in the world, and ordering 1.5 million of the 2 million there to evacuate and head south is a horrific example of collective punishment. Although that would escalate Hamas' response, I'm sure, I sincerely hope that it does not cause other nations to choose to intervene directly. And while nations like Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon have fought wars against Israel in the past and use Gaza's plight for press back home, they don't lift a finger to actually *do* something positive about the situation. Same for the Gulf Arab states that like to stoke trouble and then only use Palestinians as guest laborers. It's shit all around the table.
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You touched on a good point about the recent edict from Israel about evacuating northern Gaza. Not one of the Arab states is offering anything; Egypt could open it's borders, let them all pour into the Sinai where beyond doubt international aid would be setup. Hamas' leaders chill in Qatar, but Qatar is mute with words or aid for the Palestinians. And all the others.
Why is that? (Rhetorical question)
But yeah, complete shit.
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I just read where the Egyptian president stated he is willing to let "millions of people die" in order to ensure none of the Palestinians enter Egyptian territory.
Can't make it any plainer than that!
The whole thing is an atrocity.
In other news, a local woman is suing our town government because they won't let her own more than six chickens in the city limits. She is claiming they are, "monstrous hate-mongers" because of the six chicken limit.
Go get 'em, Maud.
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There’s a good reason why none of the neighbouring Arab countries are letting any Palestinians in. That’s because they’re nothing but trouble.
Been quite shocked with the amount of protests around the world against Israel. Not so much shocked at Arabs protesting in western countries because we know they have a long intense hatred for the Jews but more Western people protesting in their own country. Are they just activist that are on the side of the people with the darker skin or is there something more deep-seated going on?
Photos like this sum up the stupidity and absurdity of some of it
(http://www.zombietime.com/sf_rally_september_24_2005/queers_for_palestine/IMG_2211.JPG)
(http://www.zombietime.com/sf_rally_september_24_2005/queers_for_palestine/IMG_2206.JPG)
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Hahahahaha!
I like the upside down USA flag, really shows how serious they are about supporting a group of people who would, given the opportunity, kill them due to their sexual orientation - and feel good about doing it.
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That just pretty much shows the absolute ignorance and stupidity of those people. They're literally defending a bunch of people that would indeed kill them in the name of their god and laugh while doing it....absolutely crazy.
And yes indeed there is a very strong reason why Egypt won't allow Palenstine people to enter...they know who and what they are...and they know that Hamas will try to infiltrate them through those people...
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Lmao
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/aa333/DAMAGEDsINCe85/2FAA2C73-A0F6-45DE-A7C3-CF96A5476579.jpeg)
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:haha3:
That's about right.
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LOL
I just realized - those kids are our future leaders!
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Yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh... politics...
Simple answer is that, in order to build Israel, the state engaged in ethnic cleansing, driving out several hundred thousand Palestinians to make room for Israel. In order to maintain Israel, the state engages in apartheid-like legal codes and social systems that place Arab citizens of Israel on a lesser footing than Jewish citizens of Israel. In order to avoid a unified Palestinian political response to Israeli occupation of lands that were supposed to be for a Palestinian state, the State of Israel fomented opposition to Arafat's Fatah group by promoting Hamas in Gaza. There's more convolutions and injustices all around to the point that there are significant numbers of Israelis who want to see a true two-state solution implemented in good faith before hardliner bad faith results in a situation that sees increasing amounts of violence directed against civilian populations.
Should be no surprise to say that the Middle East is complicated. No one size will fit all and making generalizations won't help anyone get to a better solution. While it's never too late to attempt a peaceful solution, it also takes great training and patience to create an effective nonviolent opposition.
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I just realized - those kids are our future leaders!
That actually makes me more scared than anything I've read online in years.
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(https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-5a42653124dc33abf581c9b1d5d4e303)
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Yup! Hamas has got it's priorities straight! Fuck the people and fuck their needs as long as we can kill off as many israeli women and children as we can!
And yet there are people in western world that sympathize with these turd brains.... People can be beyond stupid...
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I saw where someone from the UN was stating numbers of dead in Gaza, and breaking it down by children then every other type of dead person. Then calling on Israel to stop, which has been their refrain since October 8th.
I have not heard them call on Hamas to stop firing hundreds of rockets into Israel EVERY DAY. I haven't seen the major media outlets report on that, but they do report on the attacks Israel makes against Hamas, almost in real time.
The UN also have passed a resolution condemning Israel for its actions against Hamas. They did not do so for Hamas's actions against Israel.
I haven't heard of any of them pleading with Hamas to stop placing military setups in areas populated by civilians. I haven't heard any of them condemning Hamas for not letting civilians into their bomb-safety tunnels. I haven't read where any of them are asking why Hamas doesn't supply the civilians with fuel, food, medical supplies that they have stock-piled. No one is clamoring for Hamas to stop redirecting the little humanitarian aid making it into Gaza from the civilians it is intended for and to their military needs.
And it is almost as if the major media outlets have forgotten about the hostages Hamas is holding. Every once in a while I will hear a report about new hostages being taken, or a few being released.
I see a lot of social media wonks yelling (not singing!) about Israeli war crimes, while saying nothing about Hamas's actions. I mean, everything Hamas is doing is textbook definition war crimes (taking hostages, using human shields, placing military functions in hospitals, schools, etc.) and nothing Israel is doing (cutting off supplies to the area during hostilities, bombing military units regardless of where they are located, telling Hamas to release all hostages and put down their arms) is an actual war crime.
I read the word, "genocide," being bandied about a lot, as in "Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians." I also hear Israel equated with Nazis.
Why is that? Because Israel has it coming? Because Hamas/Arabs are simple, backwards folk who can't be expected to understand the niceties of modern warfare? Because Israel, as a bastion of Western civilization should be OK with a few citizen deaths here and there from Hamas rockets, and the occasional big freak out like October 7th?
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It's absolutely sick that's what it is. And yes the same thing is happening with mainstream media here as well! It's absolutely crazy. And majority of it stems from systematic anti semitism and anti Israel propaganda that the (mainly left wing) media has been pushing for years and years. It absolutely sickens me.
And one also should remember that the Hamas fighters hide out in schools, hospitals and refugee centers and use (their own) people, and CHILDREN as human shields and quite often commit atrocities that they can then blame on Israel and the stupid western media eats it all up without checking any facts...
This situation is pure madness and pure terrorism on the side of Hamas.
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There's a HUGE difference between sympathizing with Palestinians in general and in sympathizing with Hamas in particular. Hamas stocked up for the conflict, but didn't share that memo with the civilians in Gaza, who got screwed over when Hamas decided to go rabid and attack a concert in the Negev. Gaza had it hard enough without Hamas inflicting injury and death directly on Israel - I hold Hamas to be responsible for the destruction happening in Gaza that hits the civilians. The IDF I also hold responsible, but it was Hamas that pulled the trigger that's now firing bullets into Gaza apartments and streets.
And while "we want our land back" was fresh in the minds of displaced Palestinians in 1948, 75 years later the call for a return is made to people who, increasingly, never knew the land that was taken from their parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents. The home they know is Gaza, Jenin, Nablus, East Jerusalem, but not any of the 248 towns that Israel erased from the map in 1948. What I'd like to see is an offer made to get them not necessarily a return to land that was once owned by their ancestors, but to anywhere that's better than Gaza. The West Bank has its own tensions, yes, but the Fatah leadership there hasn't made things there a total shitshow like Hamas is doing now in Gaza. The West Bank has a similar Palestinian population as is in Gaza, but spread out over much more area.
Were the Jewish settlers made to leave the West Bank and the territory formally handed over to Palestine, Israel would have the beginnings of a peaceful two-state solution. I'm not holding my breath for that, though, because in that "beyond stupid" category that Charger mentioned is Netanyahu and Likud, who, as a matter of policy, helped to build up Hamas in order to weaken Palestinian leadership. That some of the biggest previous supporters of Hamas, their very enablers, include the people they are now shooting at is one of the bitterest ironies of history I can think of.
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As for the UN, the USA vetoed the resolution introduced by Brazil that condemned Hamas. It condemned all violence against civilians, but did call out Hamas in particular. The USA vetoed the measure in part to support Israel.
On 27 October, the UN adopted a resolution that called for a cessation of all hostilities. That includes Hamas.
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Some activist group has been hitting ChatGPT with a DDoS attack for the past couple of days. No doubt they are trying other methods of disruption as well, that aren't as successful.
This group of compassionate, freedom-loving individuals feels that ChatGPT has too much of a pro-Israel stance regarding events of the past month. So, it is important to them to make sure no one can use the service. The starving people in Gaza are no doubt very appreciative.
Relatedly, there have been isolated incidents of murder, harassment, vandalism, etc. by caring folks from both sides of the war. In places thousands of miles from the actual war itself.
Because why not cause pain in random people's lives for no reason? Frankly, the people who need to run around in public mouthing off about how they feel don't have any legitimacy until they have some kills racked up. Or at least major infrastructure disruption that they've directly caused.
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Hacktivists of all stripes strike me the same as rioters - break things to make a point, except the point is to make people pissed off at you and your cause.
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Some activist group has been hitting ChatGPT with a DDoS attack for the past couple of days. No doubt they are trying other methods of disruption as well, that aren't as successful.
I just got a media inquiry from SC Magazine about this attack. The good news is that most OpenAI stuff is still in "copilot" mode, so humans can go back to doing what they used to do. The more serious upshot is that the ChatGPT OpenAI API clearly isn't ready for business-class operations. There was no resiliency plan with the service or DDoS protection on the front end, other criticisms. So, hello Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service if you want a Big Dog solution?
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Soon, "singularity" will occur, and then all of those twits who interfered with the proper functioning of any AI will find themselves on the wrong end of The Terminator!
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Honestly I am extremely worried about all this AI shit. Skynet is looming ever closer...If the AI ever gets rogue (or if some environmental nutjob gets control of one) it can easily determine the biggest problem on Earth is humanity and will then find ways to eradicate it.
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Have you ever read a book called, "R.U.R."? It was written in 1920, and is probably available as a pdf in just about any language there is. Of note is the first use of the word "robot" to mean what we take it to mean. Basically, people have created robots, and they eventually gain self-awareness and kill all of the humans on the planet.
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I have not.... sounds interesting though.
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It's not very long. I think you might actually enjoy it - there's a bit more to it than I presented, and a certain philosophical twist that gives it a lot more depth than it seems at first.
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^ It's a good one, a pillar of early sci-fi.
There's a difference between algorithm-driven AI and true sentience. AI takes a massive power load to run, but sentience needs either a nuclear reactor-sized plant input to operate or a biological mechanism, such as the one we got and do stuff with.
As for wiping out the human race, why make the effort? Either bide time and they'll do the job themselves or they'll get this whole "live in peace" thing figured out and won't be a threat. That, or, find a way to get out to space where the superconducting is much easier to do.
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I can't say whether this is a real or manipulated image, but it's funny to me:
(https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-fc0307d2402dfab08e6864cecd4c8183)
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:haha4:
I'd be up for that! I'm pretty sure we could chip in for few dozen as well!
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Finland got a new President! Congratulation to mr. ALEXANDER STUBB President Elect!
It was historically tight race with Stubb getting 51.6% of the votes! It was awfully close that the greenliberal who has a history of extremely questionable action and back door deals and despotic ways would have gotten elected but thank god that was not the case and we got a respectable President!
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Stubb? In Finland? But... where are all the vowels in his name?
Ohhhhhhhhhh, he's SWEDISH... gotcha. So he sings hit pop tunes for a living, I take it?
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:redcard:
No he isn't swedish goddamnit!!!
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:redcard:
No he isn't swedish goddamnit!!!
But... when I translate "Stubb" from Swedish to Finnish I get "Sänki"... and he's not Alexander Sänki...? I'm so confused...
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Well Finland was under the despotic rule of Sweden for hundreds of years so naturally there are a bunch of "swedish" surnames still in use without any real connection to sweden what so ever. In fact his family is from Carelia, the area we lost to the Russians in the second world war.
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So he's Russian? :P
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:rofl:
Oh come on!
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I think Stubbs is pretty much of an English origin, why would you try and assume it's a corrupted form of other language? It's not like we don't have foreign sounding names in the UK or the US!
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So he's a journeyman player in the parliamentary leagues and has played on teams in Sweden, Russia, and England before finally finding a spot on the Finnish National Government Team?
You guys keep confusing me!
:wall: :glitch: :lol:
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OK, had to look up the origins of the surname Stubb after that last mental pretzel I made. :)
Turns out, the Finnish had some questions about the surname and wrote an article:
https://www.verkkouutiset.fi/a/alexander-stubb-tuli-juurilleen-mita-hanen-sukunimensa-tarkoittaa/#09f36314 (non-Finnish speakers will want to translate!)
The surname goes with families that worked small, often rented farms - "stubs" as it were.
Looking at its distribution, we see this map: https://forebears.io/surnames/stubb
Finland has a pretty good number of them, and there are 2 left in Russia, most likely the PM's relatives in Carelia.
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You really ponder about the name Stubb eventhough you guys had a president named OBAMA! OBAMA! Now that's not very american name now is it? :lol:
Not to mention his family history is hell of a lot less "american" than Stubb's is Finnish! :D
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Most folks thought Obama was an Irish family from down south in Birmingham, AL: O'Bama :D
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My dad, bless his antiquated heart, asked me last night on the phone if the Czech Republic had a dictator. I told him no, they have a president, who gets voted on by the citizens just like we have.
He then stated he had read somewhere recently that they have a dictator. I again explained that isn't the case, and in fact, the guy who is currently their president seems to enjoy widespread popularity. He must have been looking for what he had read while I was talking, because he said, "right here, it says Stubbs is considered a dictator by many." So, maybe the guy is Bohemian?
:haha3:
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My dad, bless his antiquated heart, asked me last night on the phone if the Czech Republic had a dictator. I told him no, they have a president, who gets voted on by the citizens just like we have.
He then stated he had read somewhere recently that they have a dictator. I again explained that isn't the case, and in fact, the guy who is currently their president seems to enjoy widespread popularity. He must have been looking for what he had read while I was talking, because he said, "right here, it says Stubbs is considered a dictator by many." So, maybe the guy is Bohemian?
:haha3:
He's got a steady job, some nice suits, and a tidy haircut. Hardly a Bohemian lifestyle in evidence.
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But maybe he is from Bohemia! Those guys have dictator written all over them!
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But maybe he is from Bohemia! Those guys have dictator written all over them!
I found out just now that you might not be Finnish, Charger! The word "charger" seems to be of Anglo-French origin. You should get tested to see if you're French, that could be serious! :D
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Oh merde!
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Oh merde!
Zoot alors! You *ARE* ze French! Ooh la la!
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The main news here is... over there and that bridge collapse in Baltimore.
Hopefully casualties are minimal, but some great images of the ship hitting the bridge and its subsequent collapse.
Early suggestions are that the ship lost power, sent out a mayday and perhaps authorities managed to stop cars going across the bridge. If you're going to have some sort of collapse like this, the middle of the night is the time to have it.
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I think I saw few cars on the bridge during the collapse.
Was there some sort of fire on the ship as well before impact? Looked like it on vid.
Probably lost all ability to steer...but still some epically bad luck there considering the size of the pylon compared to open water in between them!
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We have a number of people in my company that live in Baltimore, we had a bit of a check-in this morning for all of them.
But, yes, the ship lost power, had some kind of damage that produced smoke, and drifted into the pylon. Awful tragedy for the families of those not yet brought to safety.
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If there is a silver lining here it is that the collapse happened at 1:30 in the morning, so not many people were on the bridge. Read where they have found two people, both alive (!), one in good shape, the other not so good but hanging in there. No word on the others but they think there are six more.
The container vessel issued a mayday about lost power, and were cruising at a fast clip with no way to change course or speed. What a harrowing experience - I've driven across the key bridge a few times back in the day and when you're on it you can't see the other side until you're about half-way across - it's really long.
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I do hope that there are better safety rules that come out of this episode, in particular making sure ship systems are functioning properly before setting sail.
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Whoever the authorities determine is accountable for this tragedy - usually the steamship line owner - is going to be on a very large hook. No doubt they are insured. Typically, the boat itself has insurance, the crew have their own individual insurance policies, and the shippers that have freight on board have their own insurance policies as well.
1. The cost of a new bridge!
2. The cost of lawsuits from each person/family who was on that bridge when it was hit.
3. The cost of lawsuits from random people deciding to sue because the event made them nervous watching.
4. The cost of lawsuits from equipment manufacturers for lost gear (the guys fixing potholes).
5. The cost of lawsuits for new vehicles that were lost in the collapse.
6. The cost of lawsuits from individual shippers suing since their freight now isn't on time.
7. The cost of lawsuits from receivers who aren't getting their stuff on time.
8. The cost of lawsuits from other steamship lines and their shippers for not being able to access the port and thus their stuff not being on time as they re-route.
9. The cost of lawsuits from other steamship lines and their shippers stuck in that port so their stuff is all late since they can't leave.
10. The cost of lawsuits from insurance companies suing each other to recoup losses from ten thousand lawsuits.
11. The cost of lawsuits from the steamship line owner of the boat in question for repairs to the boat.
Probably some others I haven't thought of, too.
I read where this exact same vessel was also involved in an accident in the port of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016. The Antwerp port authorities said the container ship Dali hit a quay on July 11, 2016, as it tried to exit the North Sea container terminal.
The ship’s history underscores the importance of vigilance and safety measures in maritime operations - I imagine whatever caused the power outage is going to be looked at with a microscope - overlooked potential issue during a safety inspection, improper protocols followed by crew, poor mechanical design of the component that failed (if any), intentional sabotage? Jeez, man...
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The early thoughts of an engineer...
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There could have been fixes to the bridge piers to modernize them. Now instead of spending millions for a fix, it's billions for a replacement.
And as bad as this was, there are many more things in state, county, city, and reservation governments that are in worse state and they're in need of both budget and skills to get the fixes in.
I do cybersecurity consultations with government entities and it's desperate stuff out there in the small and local government market.
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I do cybersecurity consultations ...
(https://www.neoldu.com/d/other/hacker.gif)
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^^^
Oh you've placed a spycam in Zzz's home office now have you...?
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^^^
Oh you've placed a spycam in Zzz's home office now have you...?
That's an old video, I have different glasses now. :smug:
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Judging from the body movement, he was listening to "Kill in the Spirit World". Either that or the original version of "Do-Wah-Diddy" by The Exciters.
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Both the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals, National Football League team and Major League Baseball team, respectively, have stadiums right next to each other in Jackson County, Missouri.
Yesterday, the voters in that county were asked to pass a tax rate increase that would be on the books for 40 years, to support moving the baseball stadium to downtown Kansas City (still in Jackson county) and renovating the football stadium. It failed to pass, 52% no to 48% yes.
Will be interesting to see what the ownership of both teams do in the face of that failure to procure money.
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Billionaires need to pay for their own stadiums. If the upgrades aren't profitable without free money from taxpayers, then the upgrades aren't profitable. Nearly all of the economic benefits of a new stadium or arena go to the developers and their backers. The city winds up with massive debt and, eventually, an empty thing that gets torn down, total waste.
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Billionaires need to pay for their own stadiums. If the upgrades aren't profitable without free money from taxpayers, then the upgrades aren't profitable. Nearly all of the economic benefits of a new stadium or arena go to the developers and their backers. The city winds up with massive debt and, eventually, an empty thing that gets torn down, total waste.
Yes indeedy. There was a cadre of proponents of the tax gabbing about it prior to the vote, and an equal and opposite group against. Primarily local politicians and sports names from years ago. George Brett was for it, Frank White was against (both former Royals players). And of course the team owners blathered on about it too.
Mr. Brett, on the eve of the vote, was interviewed. Keep in mind that the stadiums have resided in Jackson county for fifty years...When asked why it was better to build a new stadium in downtown Kansas City rather than renovating the current stadium, Mr. Brett indicated, "it would bring money into the county and benefit the citizens of Jackson county".
As opposed to that other county that has been getting the economic bennies lo these past five decades, George?
That was the mantra. The other, but unspoken mantra was: build a new stadium or we'll move the team to another city. The dingleberry owner of the Royals (as well as the owner of the Chiefs) both stated they'd have to explore options that were in the best interest of their respective teams.
I am of the opinion that they should both pack their shit and go away. I can watch the games on TV/online regardless of what town they operate out of.
Regarding your comment about developers, et al getting the actual cash in these situations, I don't know why more people weren't bringing that up. Here's some local KC-area info:
Black & Veatch is an engineering design firm here. VML is an ad agency. Burns & McDonnel is a construction firm.
There are about twenty people (five of them with the last name of Hall...as in Hallmark) who are considered Kansas City social leaders. They are all, in one way or another, involved financially with each other and those companies I mentioned. Guess who does most of the big projects in the five county area in and around Kansas City? And, interestingly enough, all of those companies were harping in favor of the tax.
Imagine that.
One last thing. I have always held a personal dislike for Frank White. He became involved in local politics after his baseball career, and is a gadfly. But, he was the only person I heard mention anything about how the money flows in big projects funded with tax dollars. His constant ginned-up criticality is as annoying as always, but he did earn a little respect with me.
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Local media has long typically been under the thumb of local bigwigs. The media consolidation that started in the mid-90s only deepened that control. They're not going to let their press report on things contrary to their interests, typically.
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Been following the news relating the Eurovision song contest....it truly has become the Anti semitism opera. It is absolutely sickening.
Finland's last years representitive posted a nice video of him dancing and having fun with the Israeli contestant and got attacked by anti semitists and pro terrorist scum! My god.
And Netherland's contestant got into a fight with an israeli reporter and got banned from the contest and now all the anti semitists and pro terrorist scums are attacking the EBU for banning that anti semitist scumbag.
This is absolutely sick. Just sick.
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My brother lived in Estonia for a while, so he's all nuts for them being in the final.
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The Dutch entry being disqualified seems to have been as the result of an altercation with a female producer. It could have been Semitic related, but there's no official word.
Anyway, I have had no interest in Eurovision in decades.
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Anyway, I have had no interest in Eurovision in decades.
Me neither the music is just horrible crap. But this year the anti semitism is just beyond ridiculous. But it's not that surprising considering how 90% is left leaning and anti semitism rules on that side.
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Eurovision has not been part of my life experience, for obvious reasons. So, speaking in generalities, isn't it all too often the case that hate will find ways to worm its way into any legitimate endeavor, and then do its level best to fuck it up for its own nefarious ends?
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Quite right you brother...
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An article from a man named Dominic Green, as posted online. I wouldn't normally copy out an entire piece, but in case it disappears, gets paywalled, isn't available in Europe, etc. For you, Charger:
Plato said that when music changes, politics will change. The Eurovision Song Contest’s final in Malmö, Sweden, Saturday night exposed Europe’s widening social schism and may predict next month’s European Union elections.
When Israel’s entrant, Eden Golan, came to Malmö, a leftist-Islamist rabble massed outside her hotel, baying for Israel’s expulsion from Eurovision and the world. The mob included Greta Thunberg, once the face of the climate apocalypse, now a boycotter of the Jewish state. Israel is a global leader in desalination and water management.
Israel is in Eurovision because it wants to be there. It falls within the European Broadcasting Area, which covers western Russia, North Africa, Turkey and much of the Middle East. Georgia and Azerbaijan also compete in Eurovision. Lebanon nearly competed in 2005 but canceled because Israel was there.
As in the tech and military sectors, Israel punches above its weight. While fighting for its existence, it has won Eurovision four times. This year’s entry, “October Rain” by the 20-year-old Ms. Golan, was a lament for the victims of Hamas’s terrorist rampage. The European Broadcasting Union forced Israel to tone down the “political” lyrics; the title became “Hurricane.”
Malmö is notorious for gang wars, Islamist recruitment and anti-Jewish violence. The police told Ms. Golan to stay in her hotel because they couldn’t guarantee her safety. A police motorcade carried Ms. Golan to Thursday’s semifinal. Trade unions at the Belgian state broadcaster briefly blacked out the screen rather than show the singer from the Zionist entity. The BBC’s flagship current-affairs program devoted time to a drag queen, who explained huskily why he was boycotting his own watching party. But telephone voters put Ms. Golan in a close second place.
Eurovision voting resembles EU voting. The voters send national representatives to the EU Parliament in Brussels, but the unelected European Commission overrules them. In Eurovision, half the points come from national telephone votes, half from unelected juries. Across the Continent, the nationalist right is leading the polls for June’s elections. The jurors of Brussels will try to overrule the voters, fearful of immigrant and Islamist violence, but the EU’s show can’t go on forever without the majority’s support.
The Greek and Dutch entrants mocked Ms. Golan at the prefinal press conference. The Finnish entrant apologized for being filmed backstage with her. During the final, protesters tried to storm the stadium while the audience booed Ms. Golan’s performance. But Europe’s silent majority gave her strong support. They also know what it’s like to be attacked by Islamists, demonized by leftist elites, and derided for defending their borders and their way of life.
Israel placed fifth this year, due to low support in the jury voting. But it came second to Croatia in the popular vote. Though Ireland’s entrant, a “nonbinary” satanist named Bambie Thug, had called for Israel’s expulsion, Irish voters put Israel in second place. Israel topped the popular vote in Britain, Spain, Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal and Italy. Europeans may struggle to tell good tunes from bad, but they know the difference between good and evil.
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What a great article and speaks quite well about the state of Europe right now. The people are starting to get fed up with all of it and it will show.
I was beyond happy to see the support REAL people gave Israel and I am so proud especially of us Finns for giving them such the top score. Speaks volumes. Regardless of what the leftist inpower-elite tries to do.
Thanks for posting that Vyn, what a great read.
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Glad you liked it!
A question I have for those folks that were calling for the removal of the Israeli contestant: wherein has your caring heart run off to? That woman is not directing any military activities, she's just singing songs. In fact, singing a song decrying a horrific event. Yet you taunt and terrorize her, threaten her physical well-being, and offer her nothing but hate and divisiveness.
I don't understand.
Perhaps that's a signal that I should sit down and simply let Greta Thunberg and Bambi Thug guide my mind and my heart.
Nah, perhaps not :)
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I've got friends in Israel who are calling for the IDF to get out of Gaza and for Netanyahu's resignation because his hardline moves didn't get the hostages returned. They do NOT call for the destruction of Israel.
I have Palestinian friends who are outraged over the IDF's heavy-handedness and the civilian catastrophe that resulted. They also have harsh words for Hamas' pride and hubris in precipitating the situation. They do NOT call for the destruction of Israel.
It's quite possible to be able to decry violence without calling for the additional violence involved in the destruction of a nation-state.
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This year the UK will be officially ignoring Independence Day...
Our lame duck PM has just called a General Election for the 4th July. It's like Turkey's voting for Christmas, he could have hung on for a few more months and maybe their unpopularity could have recovered. Look for one of the biggest swings away from the governing party in generations.
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This year the UK will be officially ignoring Independence Day...
Our lame duck PM has just called a General Election for the 4th July. It's like Turkey's voting for Christmas, he could have hung on for a few more months and maybe their unpopularity could have recovered. Look for one of the biggest swings away from the governing party in generations.
Could be he got a better job offer from somewhere and this is his way of putting in notice! :smug:
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I caught a headline about that, strikes me as being an act of desperation rather than part of a well-thought out strategy. But, UK politics isn't my forte, so what do I know?
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Seems that UK politics have been in total chaos ever since they quit the EU....
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Crazy Greta is at it in Finland this time!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13568571/Swedish-eco-activist-Greta-Thunberg-carted-police-attending-XR-protest-Helsinki.html
She and a bunch of other eco morons are sitting on a road in Helsinki blocking the traffic again...what a bunch of utter nutters!
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I note that her concerns are becoming more broad-based. For example, she stated:
"And the same machinery that's driving the climate crisis and environmental destruction, is also fuelling injustices, oppression and genocides. How many times do we have to repeat this same message?"
She is a Swedish person, protesting in Finland, but speaking in English. About nonsense.
lol
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Knowing what I know about the rubber industry of the early 20th century and the petrochemical industry up to date, I'd say that injustice, oppression, and genocide do go hand-in-hand with those industries. I'm aware that there's blood in my gasoline when I fuel up, but the structure of the world I live in means I have to use the stuff to live. I am an unwilling participant in the violence, but a participant nonetheless. As such, I look for ways to live so that perhaps some of that blood washes away. It may not be enough on its own, but I also feel that doing nothing at all is to be less unwilling in my participation in the violence of my personal survival.
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I don't have an argument with the fact that climate change is happening and we should try and do somethi8ing about it. But it's been over a century since those sort of tactics have swayed anyone into changing their ways and generally it just makes the people they are targeting more determined to ignore them.
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Today the UK and Northern Ireland go to the polls to elect a new government. Around 100 Members of Parliament (MPs) have taken the opportunity to stand down at this time, most of them Conservatives.
All 650 seats are up for grabs with the party to get the most able to form the new government. If they get 326 or more that will be an automatic victory otherwise they may have to form a coalition with another party.
Opinion Polls are predicting a massive win for the Labour Party (450+ seats), with the current incumbents the Conservative Party expected to be routed (dropping from around 365 to around 120 or less). There is even a scenario (albeit unlikely) where the Conservatives drop to 3rd place behind the Liberal Democrats. It's strange to think the UK is shifting to the left at a time when many countries are shifting to the right
I'm not one to stay up and watch the results as they come in, I'm just happy that the garbage party are likely to be out of power come tomorrow morning!
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I just hope it will be at least somewhat moderate leftwing and not an extreme lefty as that always leads to more problems than results...coming from a country that had extreme leftwing nutters in charge for 4 years and they managed to ruin the economy (among other things) completely and we're very close of being in hole with no way out.
I don't know how left leaning the labour party is over there but I do hope they don't end up screwing things up even more like they did here!
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After Tony Blair took the Labour Party in to a more Middle of the Road direction, Jeremy Corbin over compensated and went too far left and made them unelectable. Keir Starmer has taken them back to a middle ground but perhaps not quite as far as Blair took them.
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Meanwhile in the USA...
My Internet was out pretty much all day yesterday.
I was able to cope, not the end of the world or anything.
:smug:
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^^^
While we use WiFi at home, I have a personal WiFi device when I'm out and about. If I have problems at home I just connect to that until it's sorted. It's 4G rather than full broadband speed but it's good enough for a short time.
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We had our phones, but I just let my PC stay cool a while. Had a nice rest from just about everything and played some old video games that don't check to see if I'm online before firing up.
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Good luck on the UK elections - hoping that whoever you all get does right by its citizens.
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Shocked to hear about the assassination attempt on President Trump! Sick sick world filled with sick sick people...that's all I can say. No matter what you political views might be, violence should NEVER EVER be the answer!
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Shocked to hear about the assassination attempt on President Trump! Sick sick world filled with sick sick people...that's all I can say. No matter what you political views might be, violence should NEVER EVER be the answer!
I absolutely agree on that. We need more healing, so that there are fewer sick people - or so that at least, they don't become desperate and think that killing another person is the way to go. But, yes, violence is not the way to end violence. It only begets more.
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Yeah, what a tragic turn of events. Thankfully DT didn't move his head one inch to his right. Jeez. Sadly, the would-be assassin did manage to murder one random person and critically injure three others. There's very few people I would ever wish death on - in fact I don't think I ever actually have. It's more like, "they could die and I would be OK with that," kind of thoughts. To actually go through a whole process to try and actually do that is beyond my ability to understand. I get it, the guy felt that was the solution to whatever problem he thought he had - but I don't understand it.
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I'm really feeling for the parents of the shooter. They've lost a child, in so many ways. That's some deep pain, I know.
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Well how about that!
Biden finally showed some backbone and dropped out. That man surely wasn't mentally fit to run a country anymore let alone 4 years to the future.
This is a decision that should have been done ages ago...and maybe as such then the Democrats could have had enough time to find a proper candidate to actually challege Trump. Now they don't.
Trump will be the next POTUS there's no doubt about it.
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From my view point across the pond, I don't really see who else is in the running to replace Biden. But maybe we don't see too deep below the surface here.
Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats seem to have anyone to step into any gap vacated. For the Republicans they were lucky they didn't need to find someone... for the Democrats I'm not convinced Kamala Harris is a good choice, Hilary Clinton couldn't beat Trump and she was fairly well known and quite liked... can't say that about Harris. US voters seem more reluctant to vote women than other parts of the world.
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Harris won't win, even with democratic endorsements for her starting to roll in.
Trump has the election in the bag.
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Frankly, I'd vote for Mr. Peepers the crazy chihuahua if he was on the ticket this November. People want change from the norm? Elect a five pound dog to the presidency and that will be plenty of "change".
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Frankly, I'd vote for Mr. Peepers the crazy chihuahua if he was on the ticket this November. People want change from the norm? Elect a five pound dog to the presidency and that will be plenty of "change".
Except Mr. Peepers didn't poll well among the major donors, so we gotta go with the establishment candidate...
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Mr Peepers would probably be more competent for the job than Kamala Harris! :D
Donors ofcourse would probably like Harris as she might be a perfect little puppet.
It will be interesting times to see who the dems actually go with and will they get enough votes to even tickle Trump's feet?
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Well, the first poll out of the gate shows things tilting in the Dems' favor with Harris as the nominee. Younger folks are more motivated about voting for her, along with Blacks and women.
At the end of last week, the polls had Biden-Trump in a dead heat, with a slight edge for Trump. Monday's polling has Harris ahead by 1%.
With the Republicans having a strong hold on their base, they're not attracting anyone new to the party. Any Democrat that can get their base excited is also likely to sway more independents their way.
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One thing I realized is that the dems have not held their convention yet, so no official nominee yet.
I know Harris brought in tens of millions in what, the first five hours after the announcement? I think this week will tell the tale long term though. If she manages to maintain that level of donors giving to them, she'll get the nod to be on the ticket against Trump. If not, who knows.
Gavin Newsom springs to mind. I just think he's progressive enough to get some interest. And then tank any chance the dems have of possibly winning the big election because he's poison to everyplace except parts of California.
Gretchen Whitmer?
Maybe Ron DeSantis will switch parties and run as a dem and he'll get the nomination lol
The democrats should have started down this road three years ago, and started playing up whoever their chosen one was. Unless something major happens between now and November, I think they are a day late and a dollar short regardless of who they put on the ticket.
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The town I live in has about ten thousand people in it. It was founded in 1880, has a world famous hotel in it, and is a semi-rural, nice place with nice people. It has a part of town where the bad folks live - meth heads and thieves, but not very many. Crime is small-time, consisting primarily of the aforementioned dope and thievery.
The town has a reputation for being a redneck haven, and that isn't too far off the mark. Affluence is not what it is known for. But people are friendly and keep to themselves for the most part. I've grown to like it. I might feel differently if I was a minority, though.
A year ago, there was a guy in my town that got arrested for kidnapping. Short version:
A disheveled and naked woman (wearing only handcuffs and a rope around her neck) banged on a neighbors door, asked them to call the law, they did, helped her, arrested a guy from whose home she escaped.
The kidnapper was separated from his wife and his nine year old son was over for a stay when this was going on.
Cops interviewed the woman, and she told tales of other women he had done the same thing to, and they were all dead.
Fast forward one year, they have found one body (on a small island out in the Missouri river) and have leads on several more. The bad guy has been in jail this entire time, now being charged with a list of perverted shit the length of your arm.
He has kept mum about it all, but the facts are gradually coming out regardless.
Seems that for quite a few years, there has been this jackass living in the bad part of town doing super-bad shit. The news shows his mugshot whenever the story comes up, but I don't recognize the guy, but I still wonder if I ever ran into him at a gas station or grabbing take-out from the local diner.
Bleh.
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Makes me think of Southeast Kansas...
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That's some freaky shit Vyn...
You might never know what kinds of monsters might live near by....That's like an old Criminal Minds episode setting there.
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There's always some weirdos in your community... if you don't know who they are it might be you! ;)
I shouldn't be flippant, but this sort of thing is so rare it shocks me that you had someone like that in your town.
I used to read true crime books and while they covered some killers outside the US, most were from there.
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There's always some weirdos in your community... if you don't know who they are it might be you! ;)
Oh I KNOW it's me! :twitch:
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Haha, yeah, weirdo I can handle. Homicidal perverted scumbag weirdo...no can do.
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I used to live next door to a neo-Nazi homosexual drug dealer that worked at a pornography store. Not the best of neighbors, but we tolerated each other well enough. :)
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That wouldn't bother me as long as he wasn't trying to proselytize his ideology to me, while grabbing my over-size guitar pick with one hand and shoving whacky pills into my pocket with his other hand, with a porno blasting on the TV.
As long as he stuck with saying hi and waving while doing yard work, I'd have no issues :)
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It was apartments, so we got to have a whiff of his spliff every morning if we had our windows open. We could also hear when he and his boyfriend were having arguments.
But, he liked to play tabletop wargames, so I went over there for that fix. Got to watch innumerable drug deals going down and was offered cocaine once by this old German guy that was born in 1945, he was a real character. I politely declined the blow and he was cool with that. He was offering to be polite, not to see if I was a narc.
Ironically, it was the drug dealer that was working with the local police to flip his dealer. The day I was moving out of the apartment, he confided that he was about to take off to new places, didn't know exactly where. I sensed he was clearing out before stuff got hot for him relative to his professional relationships with competing interests.
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I don't know if the news has spread outside the borders of the UK, but the band Oasis have reformed... and you would think that The Beatles had reformed the level of excitement there is surrounding the shows and the tickets!
... it's almost like people have forgotten how mediocre they were!
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Yeah the news has been hitting the media here as well..and I really don't understand it either...that band was as bland as saline without salt.
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I haven't seen anything about it yet, and wouldn't know if it wasn't for the post here. Maybe it will pickup steam over the weekend?
I am surprised that European outlets are making such a big deal about it; sometimes things that are gone should just stay gone lol
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^ It's the end of August news slump. *Anything* can be a major story with not a whole lot going on.
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Oasis is a cheap imitation of the Beatles and not a very good one
I remember getting one of their albums from Columbia House in one of the 10 cds for a penny offers and I listened to it a half dozen times and was thoroughly unimpressed
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They're a load of hype, to be certain. Never understood the craze for them.
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I will say that whenever I see Oasis's name, this song pops in my head:
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Makes me want to go with Utopia's Caravan... :smug:
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About a mile from my house is a small muffler shop. It's been there since 1989, and sits behind a veterinarian's office and is at the edge of residential properties. Yesterday a large explosion occurred in that muffler shop. Witnesses state that there was a small explosion that was immediately followed by a very large explosion, resulting in most of the structure being levelled, and what remained was on fire. Two people came running out of the ruins, both on fire. First responders showed up in about two minutes - they were fast. By the time they arrived, one guy had "stopped, dropped, and rolled" himself enough to have stopped being on fire - the other guy stopped, dropped, and died. He was still burning, but long gone.
Current news indicates that the owner is the guy that died. He had a sealed, metal, 55 gallon drum that contained an unknown substance. He decided to take a blow torch and cut the top off of it. Supposedly whatever was in the barrel experienced an explosive reaction.
My wife thinks it was a meth lab. Whatever it was, I'm sure it will all come out soon enough. But I can't help being perplexed by the events, as described. If he knew what was in the drum was dangerous, why go at it with a fucking blow torch? If he didn't know what was in it, why go at it with a fucking blow torch. The only scenario that makes sense is if what was supposed to be in the drum wasn't actually in the drum.
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Wow, yeah, do not go at any sealed container with a blowtorch.
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Seems that Sharon Osbourne is coming on tour in Finland next year for some kind of spoken word tour and is being interviewed on stage by Bridgette Nielsen!
That's what I call an odd coupling...and a pretty odd thing to begin with...Who would want to go and hear Sharon talk about herself and her excellence for an hour and a half AND pay 50€ for it???
https://kulttuuritalo.fi/tapahtuma/sharon-osbourne-cut-the-crap/
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Mentioned this to my wife. Her response:
1. She will pay NOTHING to see Sharon Osbourne, ever.
2. She would be willing to go to Finland when the weather is nice there for non-Sharon Osbourne related activities.
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HAPPY 107th BIRTHDAY TO FINLAND!
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Happy itsenäisyyspäivä Charger!
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And yeah, I wrote that from memory. For sure. Not lying at all. At least, the English parts :)
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Go Finland!
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Happy itsenäisyyspäivä Charger!
And yeah, I wrote that from memory. For sure. Not lying at all. At least, the English parts :)
;D
It would actually be Happy Itsenäisyyspäivää with two ää's in this case. Itsenäisyyspäivä = Independence Day but when you're wishing someone a Happy independence day, it's Hyvää Itsenäisyyspäivää. There is a grammatical reason for that but bugger me if know what it is.
Teaching Finnish Grammar is only slightly harder than teaching astro physics...
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Haha, no doubt! That's what I get for copy-pasta from the wiki. So, today I learned about Finland's revolution against Russia and a little bit about Finnish grammar. Scorex2!
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Today is The Day That Will Live in Infamy here in the United States.
Everyone in the US used to know what Dec. 7th meant. I was talking to one of my granddaughters' earlier and asked her if she knew what today was. Nope, no clue.
Apparently, President Roosevelt's proclamation had an unspoken time limit :)
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Do you remember the day the Maine was sunk?
It's slipped my mind, I do confess.
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I don't remember the day it sunk, not having been extant at the time, but I remember when that day was. Only because history dates have always stuck in my head. Pearl Harbor is slightly different for me in that growing up it seemed to get brought up a lot simply because most people around at that time were still around and in fact still robustly involved in things.
There were still folks around that remembered the sinking of the Maine, but not many and those that were still around had handed the baton off already. 1898 was a long time ago, even in 1970. I had a great aunt that was born in 1881 and died in 1976, used to go visit her, and although she would have been 17 or so when the Maine exploded it was never brought up during my visits ;)
More to your point though, it's valid, especially when you examine the media reports at the time for events going back as far as recorded history. Each incident is the Big Deal and will Never Be Forgotten. Until it is.
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Myself, I *do* Remember the Alamo. And then Goliad.
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I remember when Ozzy pissed on the Alamo. Which is my attempt at a pithy rejoinder, but in all seriousness I recall reading that and thinking that there wasn't much else he could possible have done to completely alienate everyone in Texas and that they'd probably hang him overnight lol!
And since Finland started this mini-topic, who remembers THIS?
Jean Sibelius is born in Hameenlinna, Finland, 1865
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And since Finland started this mini-topic, who remembers THIS?
Jean Sibelius is born in Hameenlinna, Finland, 1865
That'd be Hämeenlinna. It's about 80 miles from where I live. And no...I would not have remembered that. But he was born on this day Dec 8th...and it's a big deal here. Also the day a national Finnish Music day. So crank up some Nightwish! ;D
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If there's a special Finnish person in your life, give them plenty of privacy and quiet today! :)
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On this day in 1877, Thomas Edison was granted a patent for the phonograph!
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54 years ago on this day...
... the Jackson 5 appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.
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Not local to me but I wondered if Thel felt the 4.8 Earthquake that hit the Vancouver area on 21st Feb?
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Finally some good news in my State.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gx1wRzTbIAAFTZo?format=jpg&name=small)(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gx1wPwHbwAAUbO-?format=jpg&name=360x360)
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These Communists seem to stick their commie noses everywhere these days. >:(
https://www.ntd.com/former-hong-kong-leader-threatens-falun-gong-practitioners-in-finland_1085554.html?src_src=ntddailynoe&src_cmp=ntd-2025-08-19
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I hate commies...
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Meanwhile, in Dallas, the six years of widening Interstate 635 in the strip that passes through my neighborhood are supposed to finish in the next few months. Originally, most construction was supposed to have been done by the end of 2024.
But, if the project slips into 2026, I won't be surprised. Disappointed, oh very yes. But not surprised.
There's a bridge just north of my house that had to go from concrete supports to an arch system because of its increased span length. It was supposed to have opened up back in July. Still routing around it...
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Wait a minute...has Dallas accidentally hired some Finnish road crews for the job?
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^^^
Finnish road builders stand aside... UK road builders say "Hold my beer!"
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oof! It's a race to the bottom for who's got the worst road builders!
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Why should this matter? Don't you people in Texas still travel on horseback? :smug:
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Still need a road for those noble creatures, and with urban densities increasing, we're gonna need more lanes, regardless of the mode of transportation, for sure!