I'll take This Is On Purpose for $500 Alexhttps://t.co/nyMjU5dpFc

— scaremy gorebyn 🎃🌹 (@uhshanti) October 16, 2019

Funniest caption of the week until further notice.

DUP: a bitter pill to swallow

○ DUP Leader Denies Opposition to Deal Is Softening - Latest!

Tusk: 'foundations' of Brexit deal are ready but UK has late doubts | The Guardian |

Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, has said the "foundations" of a Brexit deal are ready for approval by EU leaders but that Brussels is waiting on London after late "doubts" in Downing Street.

The deal due to be signed off by leaders at a summit on Thursday would involve the drawing of a regulatory and customs border down the Irish Sea. The Democratic Unionist party has made public its opposition to the terms of the tentative agreement with its leader, Arlene Foster, insisting further discussions are needed.

○ Co dalej z brexitem? Tusk: w najbliższych godzinach wszystko powinno być jasne (http://www.tvn24.pl)

He told the Polish broadcaster TVN24: "The basic foundations of an agreement are ready and theoretically tomorrow we could accept this deal with Great Britain.

"Theoretically in seven to eight hours everything should be clear. I was hoping that this morning we would receive a complete negotiated legal text - the agreement."

👇👇👇 (_link)

— Nigel Dodds (@NigelDoddsDUP) October 16, 2019

the UK has been a "soft touch on foreign criminals" for too long

Damn right, Priti. But they own much of London's real estate, and are often major Tory donors. So expect no change.

NY Times: Why Are Democrats Jilting G.O.P. Voters Who Want to Like Them?

According to the Zero Hedge crowd, this must be related to the debates qualification rules.

Jeremy Corbyn plays down claims he might remove whip from Labour MPs who back a Boris Johnson Brexit deal

— norman smith (@BBCNormanS) October 16, 2019

"Quite a lot of Tory MPs will take their line from the DUP,"  says David Davis ie Boris Johnon cd lose a lot more than the DUP's 10 votes. #r4today

— norman smith (@BBCNormanS) October 16, 2019

Inspiring ...

Damn ... I'd figured with this Nobel Prize, science found hell with no escape possible!

Yeah, the legacy of John the plane wrecker.

○ Senator John McCain by an SETF organizer, Mouaz Mustafa inside Free Syria, May 27, 2013.

Important visit with brave fighters in #Syria who are risking their lives for freedom and need our help pic.twitter.com/tx4uX572ZP

— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) May 28, 2013

○ Russia, Iran Prevail - Syrian Rebellion Ends

I miss you so much Dad. You're absolutely everywhere and still so much alive in all our hearts. Inspiring everyone, everywhere. #DemDebate 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) October 16, 2019

BIDEN: I'm the only one who got ashlut? weapons off the street. Expiallodiciouscasioisly.

— Nate's Liver - Commentary (@SilERabbit) October 16, 2019

Make it out to 'Cash' https://t.co/tYaWKzREE4

— The Irish Border (@BorderIrish) October 16, 2019

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT!

"Why in God's name should someone who is clipping coupons in the stock market make, in fact, pay a lower tax rate than someone who, in fact, is like I said a, uh, school teacher or

FIRE PIRATE#DemDebate #DemocraticDebate pic.twitter.com/D4rRs7D2lL

— aaron (@leftyaaron) October 16, 2019

On these issues, Westminster's deadline isn't a problem for NI.

archived: Northern Ireland abortion law ruled to breach human rights

is a problem for Arlene The Paisley. I certainly look forward to Arlene's insolen... wait. Arlene has outgrown that sobriquet. I do believe Arlene deserves something much more sinister, something resonant with her gangland leadership style and affinity with Ma Barker.

I shall study the problem

French lacks a pithy epithet for civil-contract non-married spouses.
So we got married in the end. Who needs better reasons?

o, I read a half dozen times.

I've unleashed de facto and de jure as appropriate, here and other ahh Government Buildings, typically, where US-Eng. speakers make no distinction between de facto and "common-law" spouse.

But since I live alone now, I wait for holidays to exchange such verbal barbs with my brother.

I've been politically conscious since the Vietnam war, but I've been gradually learning nuance since about the 1980s.

I would imagine (I haven't researched the matter) that Zelenskiy is learning to tread a fine line between appeasing Trump and Putin. He seems to be making some progress with the latter.

Most world leaders will have given up trying to appease Trump, because of his attention span problems.

I surmise, imperial powers are theoretical in your experience despite practice to the contrary.

But every head of state has been a "servant" of the president of the USA since christ Roosevelt joined WWII and his Allies instituted the IMF. Zelenskiy merely drew the shortest straw of the lot.

I'm not talking about the thing itself, but about the term.

When was the last time you heard someone presented thus : "This is my er de facto"...

Does this fit with the "President Zelenskiy A Servant of Trump" meme?

Not really.

Why are Trump, Bolsonaro, BoJo so popular?
They take people's worse instincts and translate them into public policy.

As Trump flees the scene, Britain is not doing enough to protect allies in the Middle East, writes @TomTugendhat (_link) pic.twitter.com/yePcMQCoXs

— Red Box (@timesredbox) October 16, 2019

I watched his interview on Sky ... just shocking, truly shocking! And Tom served so well under U.S. Command in Iraq and later in Helmand province. Look where Afghanistan is now! Thankfully Pakistan has successfully extricated itself as ally of the U.S. Coalition.

Related reading ...

○ The Counter Terror Coalitions: Cooperation with India and Pakistan | Rand - 2004 |
○ U.S-Pakistan Military Cooperation | CFR - June 2008 |

More ...

○ Pakistan Warming Up Ties with Iran
○ Nuclear Spy AQ Khan - CIA/America Refused Arrest

The NHS, oh joy!
(However bad it's currently getting in the UK, it still gives better health outcomes for the overall population and is incredible value for the money)

dem debates. oooo boy howdy.

Profiles in No Courage

Many names in IMF Credit Schema ... don't see my name entered ... how does one reap the profits of ousting a democratically elected leader? Well done Obama-Biden-Clinton-Nuland-Pyatt --- a coup-d'état that succeeded with so little bloodshed.

○ Zelensky wants to have Maidan, Ilovaisk cases solved as priority ones | UNIAN |

In the aftermath of Maidan massacre ... no one urged an investigation to find the culprits!! Quite telling ...

Related reading ...

○ EU Takes Shot at Moscow with Cyprus Bailout as Russians own 22% of Deposits | Forbes - March 2013 |

An old entry of mine ...

○ Ukraine: Extremists Reject EU Deal, Demand Violent Overthrow

The DUP has released a statement appealing for the Stormont Assembly to be recalled to avert the Westminster deadline kicking in next week, which will overturn NI's ban on abortion and same-sex marriage pic.twitter.com/Y4I1lzKhWv

— Emma Vardy (@EmmaVardyTV) October 15, 2019

ITV's Robert Peston is reporting Downing Street sources as downbeat about a deal, but the issue seems to be what is on the table is not going to get the support of the DUP.

The DUP's Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds had a second 90 minute briefing with Downing Street officials last night but declined to comment. A spokesman said: "It would be fair to indicate gaps remain and further work is required".

The Financial Times is reporting sources as saying the DUP were offered "billions not millions" as a sweetener.

Downing St AGAIN downbeat there will be real. Government source telling me: "Chances of a deal are low. DUP seem unlikely to support anything that's negotiable". This follows the meeting with DUP last night. To be clear, as I said last night, this could be final...

— Robert Peston (@Peston) October 16, 2019

Pound in a remarkable recovery ...

U.K. & EU negotiators are closing in on a draft Brexit deal, @business reported today. Not only did this move the pound, which is now up more than 1% vs the dollar, but it moved Treasury yields. This hints at how much geopolitical tensions are weighing on US benchmark rates. pic.twitter.com/kFQYWKmHiM

— Lisa Abramowicz (@lisaabramowicz1) October 15, 2019

○ Pound jumps on hope of last-minute Brexit deal | CNBC |