When that letter "F" fell off (the last "E" then fell off later,) pic.twitter.com/ylYYQ8IKTJ

— Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) 4. Oktober 2017

An internal report by the Revenue Commissioners has spelled out the enormous physical and economic impact Brexit will impose upon both Ireland's customs infrastructure, and on the tens of thousands of companies who trade with the UK.

The unpublished report, seen by RTÉ News, sets out in stark detail the vast increase in paperwork, human resources and physical space requirements at ports and airports.

The report also declares that an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic will be impossible from a customs perspective.

Außenminister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) rechnet in diesem Fall nicht nur mit hohlen Worten - des US-Präsidenten, sondern mit einem tatsächlichen Ausstieg der USA aus dem Abkommen. Das könnte weitreichende Folgen haben, warnt der Vizekanzler: "Es ist sehr unwahrscheinlich, dass Nordkorea einem Abrüstungsabkommen zustimmt, wenn der Iran-Deal scheitert", sagte er in Berlin.

And while the catalyst for the protests differs between unions, the main factor is the government's plan to remove tens of thousands of public service jobs, plus the recently imposed pay freeze, threats against paid sick leave and the recently introduced raft of labour reforms.  

I suppose, ET's correspondents in France are preparing tonight essays regarding the labor value of EUR ... in Germany.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

Theresa May has warned the British public to prepare for crashing out of the EU with no deal, setting out emergency plans to avoid border meltdown for businesses and travellers.

As hopes of an agreement appeared to fade at home and abroad, the Prime Minister - for the first time - set out detailed "steps to minimise disruption" on Brexit day in 2019. They included plans for huge inland lorry parks to cope with the lengthy new customs checks that will be needed - to avoid ports becoming traffic-choked.

Waterside railway station in Londonderry is to be transformed thanks to funding from the European Union (EU).

An award of €23.5 million will be supplemented by €8.7 million from the Northern Ireland Executive to create an "iconic new multi-modal transport hub" for the north west.

It is hoped the new station - which will include a refurbished train terminus, bus stands, a park and ride facility and retail shops - will boost the number of people using public transport for cross-border travel.

Q: Has the Treasury conducted an analysis of the costs and benefits of Brexit?

Hammond says the Treasury had conducted many analyses. It depends what you mean by Brexit.

Thomas Cook is preparing to invoke, if necessary, a little-noticed clause that it introduced to its terms in 2017: that in the event of "airspace closures", it has no liability for compensation, expenses or losses.

An Italian woman has been granted sick pay after taking time off to care for her ill dog.

The unnamed academic, from Rome's La Sapienza University, brought her fight to the courts arguing she deserved to be compensated for the two days she had taken to care for her pet.

Una dipendente amministrativa dell'Università La Sapienza ha dimostrato che lasciare da solo il cane sarebbe stato un maltrattamento.

La Lav, alla quale la donna si è rivolta per una consulenza, attraverso il presidente Gianluigi Felicetti e l'ufficio legale ha rintracciato alcune sentenze della Cassazione, che stabilivano che la mancata cura di un animale configura il reato di maltrattamenti.

L'impiegata ha potuto sostenere così che, se non avesse assistito il suo cane, avrebbe commesso un reato. L'Università, ricevuto anche il certificato del veterinario, le ha concesso il permesso.

The European Commission ordered Luxembourg on Wednesday (4 October) to recover unpaid taxes worth around €250 million from the online sales giant Amazon

The same day, the Commission also decided to refer Ireland to the European Court of Justice for failing to recover from Apple illegal state aid worth up to €13 billion, as required by a previous Commission decision from August 2016, which Ireland has appealed.

indidentally: Amazon Faces Court Battle on State Tax Records

The Massachusetts Department of Revenue issued a directive days after the policy change, requiring out-of-state retailers to collect sales tax if they had more than 100 transactions in the state and collected at least $500,000 in revenue in 2016. [...] Massachusetts revenue officials sent Amazon their first records demand on Aug. 31, 2017, seeking information about all the third-party companies that do business through Amazon that have stored products in Massachusetts since 2012.

archived: "yanno, That $13B tax judgment against Apple (no arrests, there) ..."

btw, Where is Christine "IMF Mistress of Tax Evader CDs" Lagarde?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

A top official at the Bank of England has warned the government it has less than 12 weeks to agree a transition deal with the EU to prevent City firms starting to move jobs and business out of the UK.

Sam Woods, a deputy governor at the Bank, said City firms would activate their Brexit contingency plans if there was no deal on a transition period by Christmas which would mitigate the impact of a hard Brexit in March 2019. Woods also repeated his warning of the strain being put on the Bank's ability to police the financial sector as a result of the changes firms needed to make.

More interesting, I just noticed, Bloomberg is soliciting insider tips ... under color of WilkiLeaks-like xtreme anonymnity. Lemme test Firefox v.56 screen cap.

(a bit counterintuitive UI)

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

"During the streaming process, subscribers view a reflection of plaintiff's video content. The reflection is streamed to a subscriber's device using pulses of light and data packets that are sent through the internet, hit the screen of the subscriber's device for a split second in succession and then immediately disappear."

The Independent | UK trade deficit at record high after pound slump fails to help export performance

The UK racked up a record trade in goods deficit in August, confirming the failure for the slump in sterling to help improve the UK's trade balance.

The Office for National Statistics reported that the UK exported £28.1bn of goods in the month and imported £42.4bn, leaving a deficit of £14.2, the highest on record.

Imports of chemicals, machinery and textiles all jumped, according to the ONS.

Over the three months to August exports fell 2.7 per cent while imports rose 3.9 per cent.

In a meeting last month with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, U.S. President Donald Trump termed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the harder side to convince in his efforts to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, according to seven Western and Israeli sources who were either present at or briefed on the meeting.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday while on a trip to Puerto Rico to observe hurricane recovery efforts that the island's massive debt will have to be wiped out.

"They owe a lot of money to your friends on Wall Street and we're going to have to wipe that out. You're going to say goodbye to that, I don't know if it's Goldman Sachs but whoever it is you can wave goodbye to that," Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

The moment prankster Lee Nelson hands Theresa May her 'P45' during her speech to Tory Party Conference claiming it was from Boris Johnson. pic.twitter.com/hR4PphiLo4

— The New European (@TheNewEuropean) October 4, 2017

The 61-year-old May won standing ovations for pressing on with the hour-long address, in which she took a more personal tone - saying she did not mind being called the "Ice Maiden" and describing her "great sadness" at not having children.

Stalinesque subtlety?

The report from Britain's Companies House released late Friday showed losses last year more than doubled to 17.6 million pounds ($23 million). It was the third year in a row of losses. Revenue also fell sharply.

How's the family garment business in Russia and China doing? About as well as Macy's department stores.

So. It looks like Enemy of the People need either to invent brand-name profits or investigate unreported income attributable to federal business in order to prove Trump's a racketeer. My advice: always go for conspiracy to commit mail or wire fraud (unless your target is a Democratic Party candidate). In that case, donor contributions applied to primary candidate opposition advertising don't count as a crime.

archived: Maryland and District of Columbia Sue Trump Over His Businesses - NYT
Trump Reveals Flat Revenue at Controversial Washington Hotel


Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

What did pique the Australian's curiosity was Paddock's way of making a living, "as I'd not met a professional gambler" before.

Paddock was forthcoming in "great detail" on matters from his "float", or cash gambling base, to his annual income, which was "very much well over a senior executive's wage in the US".

"And how he obtained that: the algorithms behind his methodology of gambling - only on machines, not on tables," he said.

One amusing aspect of articles like this is how the papers report what people who knew him said as though a psychopath always tells the truth except when he's talking about his plans to shoot people.

The article does, however, say

The men came to have "robust conversations" about the second amendment of the US constitution and the right to bear arms.

It is a debate the Australian said he had had many times - but Paddock's grasp of the detail seemed superior to most defenders of the second amendment.

"I've asked that question of many people I know from the US, and sadly enough, the answer is very similar in many ways: that people have this belief that the constitutional amendment is their right, with very little understanding of the content of that actual bill," the man said.

"I think it'd be fair to say [Paddock] indicated to me that he certainly knew more than most."

Amsterdam is banning new shops targeting tourists in the city's historic centre in the latest attempt to reclaim it for residents.

The city government announced on Thursday that ticket shops, bike rental companies, cheese shops and other retailers or attractions catering mainly or exclusively for tourists would be prevented from opening in parts of the Centre district.

The number of shops selling food for immediate consumption, such as ice cream and doughnuts, will also be limited in about 40 shopping streets around the centre.

Kajsa Ollongren, deputy mayor for economic affairs, said inner-city buildings designated for retail were increasingly being occupied by shops geared towards tourists, reducing the variety of outlets for residents.

archived:
"In the near future, following a US Supreme Court opinion ..."
LQD: "I don't know how to be human any more."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

Former US President Barack Obama thought his country's "special relationship" with Britain was a joke and would slip Falklands references into press conferences to mock the UK, one of his ex-aides Jeremy Shapiro has claimed.

Shapiro said Donald Trump would not be any kinder to Britain, saying the new President is "playing" with Prime Minister Theresa May to get a better trade deal. He said Trump is "willing to exploit" the UK.

For an (admittedly poor) analogy, if you work in corporate America, imagine trying to explain to your boss or colleagues how you want to implement the Taoist concept of wu-wei in the workplace.

No need to imagine. I have tried it -- subtleties and mas fuerte on the floor in the center of the "agile" economy, AMZN.COM!

< wipes tears >

What a way to quit a day job.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

The State of Kansas has enacted a new law, HB 2409, that requires state contractors to certify that they are not engaged in boycotts of Israel. An official with the Kansas State Department of Education ("KSDE") told Plaintiff Esther Koontz that she would have to certify that she is not currently engaged in a boycott of Israel in order to receive a contract to work as a trainer in the statewide teacher training program. In adherence to calls for boycott made by her church and her congregation, Ms. Koontz refuses to purchase consumer goods and services offered by Israeli companies and international companies operating in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. When Ms. Koontz responded that she could not sign the certification in good conscience, the state refused to contract with her. The Act violates the First Amendment by requiring Ms. Koontz and other state contractors to certify their non-participation in protected political expression and association. Because the Act engages in speaker-based discrimination and burdens fundamental First Amendment rights, it also violates the Equal Protection Clause.

The man authorities say left an explosive device at Asheville Regional Airport on Friday morning that contained ammonium nitrate and fuel oil said he was preparing to "fight a war on U.S. soil," according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.

The suspect, Michael Christopher Estes, had his first appearance in federal court Tuesday morning. He is charged with attempted malicious use of explosive materials and unlawful possession of explosive materials in an airport.

...  which will allow manufacturers to keep their emissions control systems secret and, according to the group, cause another Dieselgate-type scandal.

ClientEarth said on Monday (9 October) it was "seeking legal standing in the Court of Justice of the EU".

ClientEarth is calling for the confidentiality provision of Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1154 to be annulled at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

A successful challenge would make this the first case ever to be allowed before EU judges by an NGO and would pave the way for more environmental challenges against the EU and its institutions, it said.

Is litigation or advertisement the best test of systematic democratic "values"?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

Two projects born a century ago in the mind of Albert Einstein, and the scientific leaders behind them, won the 2017 Nobel Prize in physics for detecting gravitational waves. Rainer Weiss won one half of the $1.1 million prize, while Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne split the second half.

The initial detection by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2015 proved ripples course through and disrupt the fabric of spacetime, which can reveal "unseen worlds," the Nobel Prize committee said.

Payout Battle on Uninsured Irish Driver Is a Wrap After 21 Years

Farrell claimed that the MIBI was in breach of EU directives on compulsory insurance. The European Court of Justice agreed with Farrell, just over 10 years ago to the day in April 2007.

A new opinion says Farrell has since been compensated but that a new dispute arose over whether the MIBI or the Irish government are responsible for financing that judgment.
[...]
MIBI disputed that it was an emanation of the state ...

Over the weekend, something remarkable happened at, of all places, the New York Comic Con. Fan protests broke out surrounding Marvel Comics' announcement of a joint venture with U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman. In short order, Marvel had scrapped the joint venture entirely.

The plan was an unsubtle attempt to thread the military industry leaders into the Marvel comic book universe--and in a positive light--introducing a Northrop Grumman-armed team working with the iconic Avengers for some sort joint adventure. Northrop officials said this was intended to emphasize the value of science and aerospace technology for readers.

... The terms "we" reach for have something to do with our own desire to distance ourselves from people who do terrible things. If you're a christian or if you're an american and as an american or christian or whoever does something, if you can paint them as aberant, now you have a different explanation for why as to why they'd be a shooter. It does not reflect upon your group at all.

archived: ""Crude criminals" and "mere murderers" are intimately associated with irrationality, passion, insanity, adolescence, MAOA and CDH13 genes (my personal favorite), trauma ..."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.