Welcome to European Tribune. It's gone a bit quiet around here these days, but it's still going.

19 - 25 November 2018

by Bjinse Tue Nov 20th, 2018 at 10:04:43 PM EST

Your take on this week's news

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Display:
19 - 25 November 2018 | 134 comments (134 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
Europe (none / 0)
EUROPE
by Bjinse on Tue Nov 20th, 2018 at 10:05:37 PM EST
Re: Europe (none / 0)
I think Nadine Dorries may have just set a new standard for Brexiteer stupidity.
by rifek on Wed Nov 21st, 2018 at 12:09:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
She did. But she has stiff competition.
by Bernard (bernard) on Wed Nov 21st, 2018 at 07:59:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Channel Islands (none / 0)
Jersey Evening Post
Last week, a summit was held in St Peter Port between Channel Island ministers, the president of the La Manche region, Marc Lefèvre, and the president of Normandy, Hervé Morin - the country's former defence minister.

Following the summit, Mr Morin said he had been asked by the Channel Islands if France would be able to negotiate for them.

[...]

The discussions follow comments from Colin Powell in 2017, who was the economic adviser to the then Chief Minister Ian Gorst.

He said that Jersey might need to seek new alliances with EU member states such as Malta, Ireland and Estonia to speak on its behalf post-Brexit. He also said that the Channel Islands could soon need to `bat for themselves' as offshore finance centres, as they would no longer be represented by the UK in Brussels.

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed Nov 21st, 2018 at 03:31:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (4.00 / 2)
In the saga of Swedish government formation, Center party leader Lööf has given up. Apparently she tried for some kind of grand coalition including both Social Democrats and the Moderates and she complains that those two parties can not stand each other. No vote on Lööf as PM so we are still at one attempt of four.

In other news, the leader of far right Sweden Democrats has come to the same conclusion as the leader of the Left party - a coalition of the liberal parties and the Social Democrats and the Greens is the logical conclusion.

Apparently the Liberals in Skane (southernmost Sweden, or the eastern half of Denmark, depending on point of view) has come to the same conclusion, but are against. So they are trying use internal politics to block the Liberals from participating in a government with the Social Democrats. So far they appear to be in a minority within the Liberals.

So it still feels like it's moving towards a liberal parties plus Social Democrats plus Green. But very, very slowly and trying everything else first. Those that are on the outside looking in can see the endpoint and say "that is where you are going, let's just get it over with". But for the liberal parties the need to keep the party together, and to get their voters to go along, means explicitly trying and ruling out other options first so as to minimise the damage from splitting the Alliance.

by fjallstrom on Thu Nov 22nd, 2018 at 12:35:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
Just for the sake of clarity to a grossly uninformed American ... in this paragraph the Sweden Democrats (fascists) and the Social Democrats are two different parties, right?

As for the liberals, are they right-wing neoliberals? Is that a single party, or a collection of various types?

by Zwackus on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 04:03:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (4.00 / 2)
Ah, sorry.

Yes, Social Democrats are an old social democratic party that were dominant through most of the 20th century. Went third way in the nineties and has gradually lost members and support. Still largest party.

Sweden Democrats are far right, founders include at least one actual former SS volunteer. Figured in the nineties out that they could be more successful if they changed their Nazi uniforms for suits and claimed that it's just insults when people claim they are racist. Currently third largest party.

The liberal parties are the Liberals and the Centre Party. They are socially liberal, including pro immigration, and has the last century been found on the right side of parliament.

From right to left in current parliament:
Far right: Sweden Democrats
Conservative parties: The Moderates (second largest party, traditional leader of the right) and the Christian Democrats.
Liberal parties: Liberals and Centre.
Current government: Green Party and Social Democrats
Left: The Left party (social democratic plus a scattering of revolutionary romantics)

Any two of these groups in order can collaborate, but if you line up three groups they can't. The only two groups that will be able to pass a budget is liberal parties and current government together. However the liberal parties has been tightly allied with the conservative parties and needs to minimise fall out.

Oh, and there is news. The Speaker has declared that he will propose prime minister Löfven as new prime minister for an actual vote in parliament. Unless there is a majority (175 votes or more) against, it passes. If voted down, it is the second attempt of four, so then the process continues. The Speaker can propose the same person multiple times, so we are not even striking out options.

by fjallstrom on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 10:28:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
under the radar (none / 0)
Financial scandal loosens grip of Poland's ruling nationalists
In a sign that pressure is taking its toll on PiS, the party rushed a legislative amendment through parliament this week partially retreating from reforms that the European Union says undermined judicial independence. Supreme court justices who would have been forced to retire will be allowed to stay on.
m'k

archived
practice, practice, practice

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri Nov 23rd, 2018 at 06:44:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
A new round of "Yellow Vests" movement

archived uh oh
"the amateur nature of the protests"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Nov 24th, 2018 at 01:36:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (4.00 / 3)
French 'gilets jaunes' protests turn violent on the streets of Paris
Violence erupted on the Champs Élysées on Saturday as police clashed with "gilets jaunes" (yellow vests) protesters reportedly infiltrated by the far right.

Gendarmes and riot police used teargas and water cannon to disperse the crowd after they came under a hail of missiles.

The authorities had banned the gilets jaunes from gathering at a certain site, hoping to contain what was supposed to be a peaceful protest. The demonstrators had promised to bring Paris to a standstill in this second weekend of protests.

Thousands had travelled from across France to show their anger at the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the government.

The interior minister, Christophe Castaner, said 8,000 protesters had arrived in Paris by mid-morning, 5,000 of them on the Champs Élysées, which had been closed off.

The authorities had tried to contain the demonstration around the Champ de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, and had sealed off a number of roads in the capital, particularly those around the Élysée Palace.

Specifically, the "off limits" perimeter enclosed a area in the very center of Paris comprising the place de la Concorde (US Embassy), place Bauveau (Ministry of Interior), the lower part of the Champs Élysées and around the Élysée palace, plus some areas on the right bank, like the National Assembly (just across the Concorde), Quai d'Orsay (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and Hôtel Matignon (residence of the Prime Minister).

By mid-morning, the protest had drifted towards the Champs Élysées, where it quickly degenerated.

As the violence erupted many gilets jaunes, surrounded by riot police, tried to walk away.

"It's a handful of rioters causing trouble. All we want is to exercise our right to protest," said one angry protester. "We're not going to fight with the police, we're not here for that."

Castaner blamed the far-right leader Marine Le Pen for the violence.

Marine Le Pen had specifically called to march on the Champs Élysées.

Side note: Marches are never allowed on the Champs Élysées or the place de la Concorde area. Rallies organized by unions and political parties are generally held in the "two-digit" arrondissements, such as between place de la Bastille, place de la République (a classic), place de la Nation and sometimes (like on last May Day of Benalla's fame) place d'Italie.

by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Nov 24th, 2018 at 09:42:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)



Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Nov 25th, 2018 at 02:10:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
That sure will have the "yellow jackets" quacking in their boots.
by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Nov 25th, 2018 at 04:10:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (4.00 / 2)
US$1.71 per litre is $6.47 per US gallon. Diesel fuel in the "we're gonna burn fossil fuels until it kills us!" US costs about $3.25 per gallon.

But Mr Trump's line of argument is hard to follow. If the EU has been taking advantage of the US in trade, then things must be better now in the EU than they would have been in a "level playing field" situation. So if the playing field were made level, France would be worse off than now, and that would make French citizens MORE unhappy. Similarly, one of his complaints is that France doesn't spend enough for defense. Ignoring the bogus details of that argument, if France spent more on defense that would make French citizens EVEN MORE unhappy.

Linking the demonstrations with US trade policy seems unjustified.

One thing that makes the current US administration so frustrating is that it is impossible to even figure out the negotiating position. We Americans are almost as bad as the UK Conservative Party in not being able to articulate what we are looking for.

by asdf on Sun Nov 25th, 2018 at 05:01:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"unjustified"? (none / 1)
The remarks are nonsensical. His observation is a non sequitur.

Macron gov raised taxes on RETAIL diesel and petrol, because douche. Correct me if he or any of his minions tied the hike to an emergency carbon emission disincentive scheme to save the planet.

Price of hydrocarbons from all sources is falling, despite US trade sanctions against OPEC producers AND Russia while US oil rig count slides, again, leaving KSA market maker, again, in a glut.

UK and US constituencies are good for one thing: fostering mental disorder and price volatility. Profits depend on it.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun Nov 25th, 2018 at 05:59:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (4.00 / 2)
Correct me if he or any of his minions tied the hike to an emergency carbon emission disincentive scheme to save the planet.
As it happens, that's exactly what he did: the tax increase is dubbed "carbon tax" by the government. One of the things people are unhappy about is that only a portion of this tax is earmarked for "ecological transition": the rest is to compensate for the tax cuts for the rich.
by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Nov 25th, 2018 at 07:07:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)
uh huh.

Douche. That's my story and I'm sticking with it, because outcome: Anyway you look at it, in hindsight, he failed to communicate that message --the political necessity and programmatic benefits that accrue with cooperation. He's lost the plot.

France drops plan for urban tolls amid fuel price protests

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 10:55:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
ahem (none / 0)
Emmanuel Macron's Fuel Problem

Somewhat Memorable Quote: "Voters no longer believe in ideology, they consume and then reject their elected representatives, including the President of the Republic."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 10:37:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)
French Premier to Meet With Protesters Amid Anger Over Taxes
Their list of demands includes tax cuts, the creation of a citizens' assembly, state-funded subsidies to help companies boost hiring, and higher pensions and a higher national minimum wage.
[...]
The protests began to gain traction in neighboring Belgium as well, with dozens of "yellow jacket" demonstrators angry about high taxes and living costs causing traffic chaos in Brussels on Friday. They gathered near the Belgian government and the parliament, as police watched on with water cannon trucks parked nearby.
Long View: Campaign 2022

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sat Dec 1st, 2018 at 06:59:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)
Hundreds arrested as police clash with 'Yellow Vest' protesters in Paris

SPUTNIK FRANCE: Fear and Loathing: Violent 'Yellow Vests' Protests Rock Paris for 3rd Weekend



Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sat Dec 1st, 2018 at 07:27:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)

Thousands at housing protest rally in Dublin



Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sat Dec 1st, 2018 at 08:05:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 1)
Let's not forget Belgium.

Violent 'yellow-vest' protests spread to Belgium

Protesters in Belgium on Friday destroyed several police vehicles and threw rocks at the office of the country's prime minister, Charles Michel, calling for his resignation over high taxes and food prices, and low wages and pensions.

The protesters wore yellow high-visibility vests -- which have become a symbol of France's rebellion against diesel tax hikes and the high cost of living -- as they blocked streets in Brussels, often with pieces of scaffolding, severely impeding traffic.

"Michel, resign!" people chanted. Michel, a center-right ally of French President Emmanuel Macron, voiced sympathy, but said: "Money doesn't fall from the sky."


by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 at 11:53:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)
The phrase, instead of "douche," that I was searching for to describe the so-called gas tax was "astro turf", that which covers a multitude of sin including but not limited to this particular, belated climate change "initiative". Astro turf, but not the scent of it, fallen out of innerboob favor.

Reuters' feed is running stories about unpopular "green taxes" with "extremists hijacking". Dovetails nicely with a suspicions closely held by the CA Cohort of Petty Landlords: climate change is a lie, "carbon tax" is theft.

Nothing about income inequality and the means to cure that.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 at 05:16:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)
Skimming these scenes I have been moved to note however the symbolic import of the "yellow jacket": a pun in US-Eng. for a wasp and more poignant in the matter at hand, a universal sign for "public safety", personal protective equipment (PPE).

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 at 05:24:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)
This type of yellow safety jackets has been mandatory across Europe for a couple of years now: each motorist must have at least one in their car (one per occupant, says the vehicle code), in case they have to stop and get out of the car. It is also recommended for cyclist and of course for everyone walking on a road shoulder, especially at night.

It's because they are highly visible and because everybody has some in their car, that these safety jackets have been chosen as a rallying sign for this movement.

by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 at 07:36:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)
The Empire of Signs (Eng trans.) or, if you prefer, the original 'text'.

So sexy!

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 at 08:08:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)

A large area of the town was sealed off as investigations got underway.



COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM TRAINING, Germantown, TN, USA



The Jerusalem neighborhood, Guatemala, rises from the rubble



Children at the Raekoja Plats, Artu, Estonia



Crowds breached security cordons on the Champs-Élysées in Paris ahead of a third rally against high fuel prices.CreditLucas Barioulet/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images


A Frenchman (unless he is abroad) cannot classify French faces; doubtless he perceives faces in common, but the abstraction of these repeated faces (shich is the class to which they belong escapes him. The body of his compatriots, invisible by its quotidian situation is a language he canattach to no code; the deja vu of faces has for him no intellectual value; beauty, if he encounters it, is never for him an essence, the summit or the fulfillment of a research, the fruit of an intelligible maturation of the species, but only a piece of luck, a protuberance from platitude, a departure from repetition.
You begin to perceive the irony now of the 'yellow vest', not fit for purpose?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 at 10:02:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)
poll smoke circling proximate cause for riot from Sputnik
the survey for the European broadcaster RTL has revealed. The research, conducted by the sociological service [BWAH!] Harris Interactive and published on December 2, has shown that the majority of respondents [72%] support the demonstrations although they turned into violent rallies in several French cities, including Paris. However, 85 per cent of those polled indicated that they were appalled by the violence ...
to Tasnim, last two paragraphs of syndicated PR
This and other reforms, introduced by Macron, including the offensive against France's wealth tax, has provoked ire from both left-wing and right-wing opponents. Slammed in France as "the president for the rich," Macron revealed plans to lower the corporate tax to 25% and abolish a wealth tax on financial assets.

Additionally, France has imposed a flat 30% tax on carried interest and scrapped the top tax bracket. Meanwhile, his approval rating had dropped to 20 per cent, even before the "yellow vest" protests.

Depardieu is not in the frame. The survey instrument, including questions that do not specify "fuel tax", "green tax", "carbon tax" topics, is not readily available to me. FRANCE24 elaborates approval and disapproval of protest actions, related to "fuel-tax" protest and (escalated) "crisis" conditions ahh emanating the capitol: "Yellow Vests: French PM meets opposition after weekend of violent clashes", disruption to commercial establishments, and disclaimers.
Protests spread on Monday [!] to around a hundred high schools across the country. Teenagers demonstrated in front of their blockaded schools, setting rubbish bins on fire and shouting for Macron to resign. The renewed protests come after wide-scale student demonstrations in 2018 against proposed educational reforms, including a new university application system.

archived
Never, ever besmirch the property.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Dec 3rd, 2018 at 04:14:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)
A `yellow vest' fake news paradise
"But the fake news factories fueled by Russia are not the only ones to throw gasoline onto the fire. "

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Mon Dec 3rd, 2018 at 04:47:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 1)

by generic on Mon Dec 3rd, 2018 at 11:00:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)
Trump thanks Saudis for lower oil price, doubling down on defense of kingdom
I cannot begin to conceive what will emerge from his mouth after the next series of fed rate hikes flush US farm insurance and mortgages into the toilet.

Go Anyone Buttrump!

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 05:24:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
under the radar (none / 0)
Why the Fed Could Back Down on Rate Hikes

The particulars are not nearly as interesting to me as the question, of little interest to the poleis, What happens next?

Since "everybody" is supposed to know that QE "everywhere" is no longer socially acceptable monetary policy. What's more: Everybody who is a scholar of Depression "economics" knows who is designated lamb and from where the next "great migration" comes.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 08:15:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "unjustified"? (none / 0)
< wipes tears >
Trump Blames Federal Reserve for Bad Economic News
"President has departed from norms by criticizing the central bank"

o bullshit

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 02:38:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
There is no line of argument.  He yodels out his ass.
by rifek on Sat Dec 1st, 2018 at 12:45:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 1)
Well, if I was underpaying for US Military protection, while at the same time taking advantage of the terms of trade to excessively profit off of trade with the US, then I would most certainly join in a mass demonstration to protest for an immediate halt to this devilry. It would be the only right and proper thing to do, and we all know that politics is primarily motivated by citizens at all levels who seek to do the proper and fair thing.
by Zwackus on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 04:10:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 1)


by generic on Tue Dec 4th, 2018 at 10:41:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 1)
Help! Yet again someone who knows everything about France and the French!

<runs away>

I used to be afew. I'm still not many.

by john_evans (john(dot)evans(dot)et(at)gmail(dot)com) on Wed Dec 5th, 2018 at 10:51:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
Can we have some of what he's been smoking?
by Bernard (bernard) on Wed Dec 5th, 2018 at 07:30:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
Why yellow? Here's the significance of yellow
If yellow is overused, it can have a disturbing effect. For example, it is a proven fact that babies cry more in rooms painted yellow. Too much yellow causes loss of focus and makes it hard to complete a task. Too much yellow also can cause people to become critical and demanding. Too little yellow causes feelings of isolation and fear, insecurity, and low self-esteem. A lack of yellow can cause one to become rigid, cunning, possessive, or defensive
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed Dec 5th, 2018 at 07:34:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
A lack of yellow can cause one to become rigid, cunning, possessive, or defensive

That would explain Macro

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Fri Dec 7th, 2018 at 04:20:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
... Macron.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Fri Dec 7th, 2018 at 04:20:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
China, Croatia to enhance cultural exchanges
lies

archived Belt doom
market penetration
currency spreads
eternal dictator
uighur fever
surplus labor
IPR piracy
"transparency"


Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Nov 24th, 2018 at 02:55:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
The situation is so psychotic, Sputnik is running a "Brussels Summit LIVE UPDATE" thread today.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Nov 25th, 2018 at 03:10:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
< wipes tears > (none / 0)
Varoufakis to run in European election -- in Germany
"nomination on behalf of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25), which he launched in 2016 to 'democratize'the continent" ... from Texass?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Nov 25th, 2018 at 07:04:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: &lt; wipes tears &gt; (none / 0)
With 99 seats and no threshold for a seat (earlier threshold was ruled unconstitutional), Germany is the best place to gain a seat if you are a new European party.

I don't think there is any rule hindering someone to run in multiple countries (subject to national requirements to be allowed to run in any particular country), and considering that Varoufakis is the only well known candidate, I would put him at the top of as many lists as possible.

by fjallstrom on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 10:38:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: &amp;lt; wipes tears &amp;gt; (4.00 / 3)
But that would be cynical <smirk>

No, there are a number of reasons he's running in Germany. Foremost is the lack of a suitable established party to partner with (plenty of good people in Die Linke and Die Grünen, but not only). Yanis as locomotive may be worth a couple of MEPs... Secondly, the idea of a transnational list (of the top six, one Greek, one Austrian, one Croat, three Germans) has virtue in itself.

And yes, there is the question of the threshold.



It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 01:11:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: &amp;lt; wipes tears &amp;gt; (none / 0)
In the US, representatives in the House don't need to live in the congressional district they are representing. They do need to live in the same state, though, as do Senators.
by asdf on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 08:08:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
Sadness the flavour of the day as EU27 approve Brexit deal
Negotiations over ...
Hopes have been rising amongst hardline Brexiteers in the UK that it would be possible to renegotiate the deal. However, such hopes were dashed by European Parliament President Antonio Tajani on Sunday, who said that "it's impossible to reopen the text."
[...]
After the Council's approval, the European Parliament will also need to ratify the deal. President Tajani announced that a motion for a resolution on Parliament's position will take place in December, with a final vote on the deal set to take place in February or March.

In the UK, a series of debates on the agreement will take place over the coming weeks, with a vote in parliament happening before Christmas.

If the deal is approved, it will come into force by 29 March 2019, the UK's official exit date from the EU, after which there would be a transition period until 31 December 2020 during which the UK would continue to have access to the single market.


archived

"It is for the Council to decide whether A.50 should be extended, not the Parliament."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 04:50:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
BONUS! (none / 0)
US press attempts BREXIT analysis
AP | Divorce Papers Signed, Now Brexit Battle Moves to Parliament
(Nevada Rules - only one party to the contest need appear)
IF [UK] PARLIAMENT SAYS YES

If Parliament approves the deal, May will have secured a major victory [?!], and Britain will be on course[?!] to leave the EU at 11 p.m. London time -- midnight in Brussels -- on March 29.

inconceivable
IF [UK] PARLIAMENT SAYS NO

If the deal fails in Parliament, things get complicated. The only [?!!] certainty is that the government must make a statement within 21 days saying what it plans to do next.

ahhh, no. Guess wut?

"Britain will [STILL] be on course to leave the EU at 11 p.m. London time -- midnight in Brussels -- on March 29." [!!]

archived Secession and US Reconstruction Acts of 1867

Art.50, 5. If a State which has withdrawn from the Union asks to rejoin, its request shall be subject to the procedure referred to in Article 49.
Have fun writing that up!

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 05:13:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
incidentally (none / 0)
Let's blame GPB, most grossly overvalued currency on

the planet



Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 05:18:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: BONUS! (none / 0)
scorecard on teh merits
Top EU Court Hears Brexit Challenge as Critics Slam May Deal
"As regards the United States, we have already been talking to them about the sort of agreement that we could have in the future," May said as she visited an agricultural fair in Wales. "We have a working group set up and that is working very well, has met several times and is continuing to work with the U.S. on this."

8 Theresa May
4 Donald Trump
1 Alyn Smith
1 Michael Fallon
2 David Liddington
1 ECJ
1 TEU
0 USC

## Rule of men is not well understood

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 01:31:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: BONUS! (none / 0)

Hold the phone!



Trump says Brexit agreement bad for US-British trade, May disagrees

Who in hell wants to do business with these people?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 01:55:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Everyone (none / 1)
Ssssh! Because the EU has taken care of international trade deals for the UK during the past 40 years, there are hardly any skilled UK trade negotiators left in the country.

But don't let the secret out!

by Bjinse on Mon Dec 3rd, 2018 at 10:30:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe (none / 0)
Ireland makes the big (Hanseatic) league
 
    Over the past year, the Dutch have spearheaded an alliance with Ireland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to make common cause in an intensifying debate on the future of the eurozone -- one of the biggest questions facing the post-Brexit EU.

This is an historic event  (anhistoric?)

Reminds me of the football. In France they talk about the "Ligue des Nations" competition. I'm sure that'll end well.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 10:09:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Economy & Finance (none / 0)
 ECONOMY & FINANCE 
by Bjinse on Tue Nov 20th, 2018 at 10:05:40 PM EST
industrial action UPDATE (none / 0)
Amazon workers strike in Germany, Spain on ["Inventory Dump"] Friday
"[Line workers] in Germany earn a starting salary [sic] of 10.78 euros ($12.23) per hour and earn on average a monthly wage of 2,397 euros after two years."

The two-year anniversary signifies end of step-increases from starting wage (eur/hr, $/hr) for Tier I employees. Y2 is the ceiling. Tier I is not salaried employment. In US this status is called "non-exempt employment" --not supervisor, management, specified annual earnings.

archived
billions in [tax] breaks for HQ2 development
$15 for all US employees, 10.50 pounds ($13.59) for UK
Amazon Warehouse Workers Lose Bonuses, Stock Awards for Raise"
Amazon of airlines
#AmazonEnLucha

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri Nov 23rd, 2018 at 05:39:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Economy &amp; Finance (none / 0)
Nissan's old guard struck back against their `gaijin' saviour, and Japan Inc may be the worse for it - South China Morning Post
The Empire has struck back. Japan Inc and Nissan Motor last week struck back against the French government, carmaker Renault and Carlos Ghosn.

The narrative spun by Nissan and apparently condoned by Japanese authorities is that the former high-flying head of the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi Motor alliance abused his position to enrich himself.

The truth appears to be rather different and it seems certain to come out as "L'Affaire Ghosn" unfolds. It threatens to do at least as much damage to the reputation of the government and industry alliance known as Japan Inc as to the man at the centre of the affair.

It has been said that Ghosn had become a national hero in Japan before he fell from grace. But that is next to impossible. No one can really be a hero in Japan unless they are of Japanese origin and, as the Japanese say, the "nail that sticks up gets knocked down."

Ghosn is of Lebanese, French and Brazilian extraction, the kind of exotic mixture that sometimes produces outstanding people. In Japan, he is first and foremost a gaijin (foreigner) and the Japanese corporate world is not comfortable having foreigners show then how to do things.

by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Nov 25th, 2018 at 11:23:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]
" 'gaijin' saviour," (none / 0)
innnnnnnovation, origin stories

In my experience, Ghosn's fortune --not unlike his contemporary Jack Welch (CEO of General Electric 1981-2001)-- owe's a lot to HBS promotional material on "leadership". It's sort of peculiar how easily Ghosn is disgraced by comparison to Welch. In Ghosn case studies, the lesson riveted to industry competition is "collaboration" with Japanese automakers to revive moribund Renault, iirc.

Which is to say, the Americans had been harping on Japanese genius for decades before he entered the picture of post-WWII "globalism" as a European savior --opposed to nationalized industry. HBS cases seldom explore, however, such context. Americans didn't appreciate how bad domestic product was until "cheap" imports began arriving in the 70s.

I'm not home to dig up a choice quote, but here is the flavor archived in the US Sloan management review (1988).

Thus Toyota, and then other Japanese automakers, did not simply implement conventional mass-production processes more effectively; they made critical changes in U.S. procedures and concepts. Their creativity led to greater flexibility in equipment and labor, lower in-process inventories and higher overall turnover rates, more attention to process quality, and, ultimately, higher levels of productivity.
The racist angle on Ghosn's commerical success among captains of industry is, I think, a bizarre accommodation for his rather ordinary embezzlement scheme.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Nov 25th, 2018 at 02:59:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: " 'gaijin' saviour," (none / 1)
Ghosn made his reputation as a cost-cutter at Renault, as head of procurement. This is allegedly how he saved Nissan and Mitsubishi too.

The sordid details of how he filled his pockets in Japan would probably not be very edifying to sift through. My guess is that he thought he could get away with it in Japan as he could in France. Over here, as long as Macron, the guru of self-help, is president, it's a certainty that no iconic winner is going to be prosecuted for helping himself.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 01:18:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Economy &amp;amp; Finance (none / 0)
There is a large amount of speculation in that linked article, and a ready willingness to cast the whole thing in rather blatantly racist terms.

I have no idea what the facts of the matter are, but that does not seem like the most trustworthy source.

by Zwackus on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 04:18:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Economy &amp;amp;amp; Finance (none / 0)
This is more of an "opinion" column by a fellow named Anthony Rowley, previously from "Far Eastern Economic Review and worked earlier on The Times". So what did you expect?

This said, we don't know most of the details in that sordid story, but this will come up in due course.

by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 07:58:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]
World self-defense (none / 1)
EU sends WTO reform proposals to break U.S. deadlock
"Now, together with a broad coalition of WTO members, we are presenting our most concrete proposals yet for WTO reform. I hope that this will contribute to breaking the current deadlock," European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said in a statement.

The proposals, building on an EU document published in September and focusing narrowly on the dispute settlement issue, follow months of meetings in Geneva, Beijing, Ottawa and elsewhere.

The EU published two proposals, one issued jointly with India and China, and another which also included Canada, Norway, New Zealand, Switzerland, Australia, South Korea, Iceland, Singapore and Mexico.

+ "Whatever.it.takes."

archived
Isolate Trump at WTO, says former top trade judge Bacchus Oct 2018
Trump Threatens to Pull U.S. Out of WTO If It Doesn't 'Shape Up'
EU Moves to Reform WTO as Trade War Escalates
European Council | Council authorises opening of negotiations with WTO members on Brexit-related adjustments, 26 June
WTO chief makes rare warning of trade war over U.S. tariff plan, Mar 2018

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 10:14:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Economy &amp; Finance (none / 0)
South Africa's Ramaphosa signs minimum wage bill into law
The National Minimum Wage Act sets South Africa's minimum wage at 20 rand ($1.45) an hour, equal to 3,500 rand per month.

archived Amazon of mining
Without overtime there is no life'

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 10:42:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Trump (none / 0)
TRUMP
by Bjinse on Tue Nov 20th, 2018 at 10:05:42 PM EST
Re: Trump (none / 0)
Hillary Clinton: Europe must curb immigration to stop rightwing populists | World news | The Guardian

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

Hillary Clinton, a former US presidential candidate, suggests immigration contributed to Brexit and Donald Trump's election. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AP

Europe must get a handle on immigration to combat a growing threat from rightwing populists, Hillary Clinton has said, calling on the continent's leaders to send out a stronger signal showing they are "not going to be able to continue to provide refuge and support".


Maybe she'll tr to run republican this time?
by generic on Thu Nov 22nd, 2018 at 09:51:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Trump vs Hillary ... Again? (none / 0)
From the master of defeat herself - 2008 - 2016 - ...

○ Europe must curb immigration to stop rightwing populists, says Hillary Clinton
○ US media must 'get smarter' to tackle Trump, says Hillary Clinton

Listing the link is not an endorsement to read her statements ;)

HRC defeated by her own "deplorables" statement ... not so smart Hillary!

Who pushed the agenda for regime change in Libya which let to a great upheaval in the nation and a migration of jihadists and thousands of tons of weapons moving into Syria to fight another proxy war. Not so smart Hillary! Can you please just go away!

○ The Obama administration with HRC as Secretary of State War

Related reading ...

○ War On The Rocks - McCain Surrogate/ PNAC/AIPAC
○ New American Century - A Balance of ME Failure
○ What NATO Left Behind In Libya

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Nov 23rd, 2018 at 03:02:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Trump (none / 0)
Republicans aren't anti-immigration as much as they are anti-immigrant.  If they wanted to stop illegal immigration they would have instituted strenuous penalties against employers of illegal immigrants, as well as providing ubiquitous national identification for citizens and legal immigrants.  What Republicans want is to scare their base, not solve a problem.
So far as I'm aware, it has never been a position of the Democratic Party to support illegal immigration.
by Andhakari on Fri Nov 23rd, 2018 at 07:32:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Trump (none / 0)
Critic of gun control [, NAVY VETERAN,] charged in ["]religious["] store shooting, [MURDER, RAPE]

recap MO campaign 2018
House: no change
Senate: (R) +1, (D) -1
Gov: no change

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri Nov 23rd, 2018 at 04:31:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Trump (none / 1)
US border agents fire tear gas as some migrants protesting slow asylum process try to breach fence
"After being prevented from entering the Port of Entry, some of these migrants attempted to breach legacy fence infrastructure along the border and sought to harm CBP personnel by throwing projectiles at them," Homeland Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in a statement. "As I have continually stated, DHS will not tolerate this type of lawlessness and will not hesitate to shut down ports of entry for security and public safety reasons."
Incoming [?] Mexican government says there is no 'Remain in Mexico' deal on migrants
Saturday, The Washington Post [!] reported that a deal between the Trump and Obrador administrations would begin a "Remain in Mexico" policy to replace the system - sometimes derisively called "catch and release" - of permitting immigrants to remain in the USA while their cases move through the courts, a process that can take years.
AP | US Fires Tear Gas Across Border to Disperse Immigrants

US Border Patrol Arrest 42 Migrants Who Managed to Cross Over

archived
"BTW, what happened to the migrant caravan?"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 06:14:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Trump (none / 0)
< wipes tears >
House Democrats' New Leadership Team Will Be Mostly Same People

archived dirt, older than
HISTORIC class STORMS Capitol

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 02:56:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Trump (none / 1)

"slow learners" symposium, Canada



Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Nov 29th, 2018 at 01:08:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Trump (none / 0)
Hag Watch Int'l Presents

Becoming Oprah Beyonce: 17,000 seats SOLD OUT!
"It's not always enough to 'lean in', because that sh*t doesn't work all the time."

Soon on Netflix!

archived
"Party doesn't separate us," she said. "Color, gender, those sort of things don't separate us."
"Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was. Nobody cares if you suffered some discrimination."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 at 07:43:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Capone Gazette w/o 2 Dec (none / 0)
Federal agents raid office of lawyer who previously did tax work for Trump
Over his 12 years working for Trump, Burke was allegedly able to cut the property taxes [!] on the downtown [CHICAGO!] tower by more than $14 million.
[...]
Burke stopped working for Trump this summer, citing "irreconcilable differences" in letters filed with the Illinois State Property Tax Appeal Board.
Reaching through a RICO test for a 'high CRIME or misdemeanor [CRIME]' that might actually offend middle-class 'merica's petty landlords: Bon Voyage!
Trump submits written answers to Mueller
no leaks yet

archived not emoluments, not Russians, not Cohen
the bookkeeper, Aug
40 Questions
18 USC 2,371,2349,2028A
[conspiracy] is not a crime per se.


Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Dec 3rd, 2018 at 01:50:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
World (none / 0)
 WORLD 
by Bjinse on Tue Nov 20th, 2018 at 10:05:46 PM EST
Re: World (4.00 / 3)
Interpol elects an idiot as President to avoid electing a Russian.

Yang had been serving as Interpol's acting president since Meng resigned and was a vice-president representing Asia. "Our world is now facing unprecedented changes which present huge challenges to public security and safety," Yang said after he was elected. "To overcome them, we need a clear vision: we need to build a bridge to the future."

... he said, through an interpreter. He speaks none of the four official languages of Interpol. No doubt a nice guy, he is a retired Korean cop who knows nothing of international policing. The perfect President, since he won't even try to interfere in operational matters. The truth is, nobody else wanted the job...

The White House and its European partners had lobbied against Alexander Prokopchuk's attempts to be named the next president of the international police body, saying his election would lead to further Russian abuses of Interpol's "red notice" system to go after political opponents.

This is a beat-up. Historical systemic weaknesses (such as that which led to the arrest and release of Bill Browder in Spain on an Interpol notice from Russia last year) have been eliminated. Politically inspired arrest notices, whether from China, Russia, Turkey, or, er, Spain, are put on hold, researched and rejected. The weak point, in terms of political pressure, is no doubt the German secretary general :

Interpol's president chairs its general assembly while day-to-day operations are handled by the organisation's secretary general, Jürgen Stock.


It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Wed Nov 21st, 2018 at 10:25:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: World (none / 0)
Rainstorm helps douse Camp Fire, cleans air, closes part of Highway 1 - SF Chronicle
The first major soaking of the season that swept through Northern California helped boost containment of California's deadliest wildfire to 90 percent Thursday morning.

Air quality in the Bay Area was mostly "good" -- down from "very unhealthy" and "unhealthy" readings just days ago, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality Index.

The rain was welcome for many, but it also left hazards in its wake. Rock and mud sliding temporarily closed part of Highway 1 in the Big Sur, and roads across the region were slick for Thanksgiving travelers. The National Weather Service said it detected nine lightning strikes between Napa and Yountville.

In Butte County, where the Camp Fire has burned for two weeks, the rate of rainfall Tuesday night and Wednesday was thankfully low, even though showers lasted for a relatively long period, said Craig Shoemaker, a weather service meteorologist.

by Bernard (bernard) on Thu Nov 22nd, 2018 at 07:24:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Omelets and cakes (none / 1)
Tsipi Livni, one of the leaders of the Israeli "left" adds to her crimes a hopeless mixing of metaphors.
That fear led her to compare Jews and Palestinians to the yolk and the white of an egg that must be separated.
It's actually the omelet story, where we we will no longer be able to separate the ingredients. And separation between the yolk and white also makes a good cake, they say. And it will also make sure that we have a good state as well. Another isolated settlement will not provide us with security, will actually stop us from having security and peace.
Or, as Boris Johnson or Josef Stalin would have said, "You can't make cake and eat it without breaking eggs".
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 at 06:49:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Living Off the Planet (none / 0)
LIVING OFF THE PLANET
Environment, Energy, Agriculture, Food
by Bjinse on Tue Nov 20th, 2018 at 10:06:34 PM EST
The Grauniad (none / 0)
The Guardian
History suggests an EU that could evolve into a new Holy Roman Empire: a confederation of states, some big, some small, some little more than cities, like Monaco, San Marino and Liechtenstein.

[...]

This article was amended on 21 November 2018 to remove a repeated paragraph, and change San Remo to San Marino

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed Nov 21st, 2018 at 09:36:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
ysssssssssss (4.00 / 2)
Harvesting in a trade war - U.S. crops rot as storage costs soar
an early win for Anyone Buttrump 2020!

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Fri Nov 23rd, 2018 at 03:50:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living Off the Planet (none / 0)
Graeber's Meaningful Work Bulletin w/e 1 Dec 2018
"I don't think I've seen anything like it," says Göran Ekström, a seismologist at Columbia University who specializes in unusual earthquakes.


Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Fri Nov 30th, 2018 at 04:29:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living Off the Planet (none / 0)
40,000 earthquakes per year

This photo provided by David Harper shows merchandise that fell off the shelves during an earthquake at a store in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. (David Harper via AP)



Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sat Dec 1st, 2018 at 07:21:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living Off the Planet (none / 0)
California's [FIRE] Refugees
Finance-Insurance-Real Estate industry growth or immolation. You be the judge.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 at 07:09:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Living On the Planet (none / 0)
 LIVING ON THE PLANET 
 Society, Culture, History, Information 
by Bjinse on Tue Nov 20th, 2018 at 10:06:36 PM EST
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
Ill-conceived Headline w/o 18 Nov 2018
Scared Your DNA Is Exposed? Then Share It, Scientists Suggest

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Fri Nov 23rd, 2018 at 04:23:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
CPC holds symposium to commemorate 120th anniversary of Liu Shaoqi's birth
Liu Shaoqi who?

archived
jesus christ's other brothers

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Nov 24th, 2018 at 02:45:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
I cannot make sense of this. Is it a Peterson or Dunning-Kruger exploit?
How Queer Theory Became University Policy

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 05:39:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
Dunning-Kruger

The blathering about transsexuals, at least as far as I got before giving-up, is pure D ignorance.  

See:  Smith, Elke Stefanie, et al. "The transsexual brain-A review of findings on the neural basis of transsexualism." Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 59 (2015): 251-266.

Transsexualism describes the condition when a person's psychological gender differs from his or her biological sex and is commonly thought to arise from a discrepant cerebral and genital sexual differentiation. This review intends to give an extensive overview of structural and functional neurobiological correlates of transsexualism and their course under cross-sex hormonal treatment. Research in this field enables insight into the stability or variability of gender differences and their relation to hormonal status. For a number of sexually dimorphic brain structures or processes, signs of feminisation or masculinisation are observable in transsexual individuals, which, during hormonal treatment, partly seem to further adjust to characteristics of the desired sex. Still, it appears the data are quite inhomogeneous, mostly not replicated and in many cases available for male-to-female transsexuals only. As the prevalence of homosexuality is markedly higher among transsexuals than among the general population, disentangling correlates of sexual orientation and gender identity is a major problem. To resolve such deficiencies, the implementation of specific research standards is proposed.

with a top-line conclusion:

perspectivesThe available data from structural and functional neuroimaging-studies promote the view of transsexualism as a condition thathas biological underpinnings.



She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre
by ATinNM on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 06:50:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
My New Vagina Won't Make Me Happy -- NY Times
I feel demonstrably worse since I started on hormones. One reason is that, absent the levees of the closet, years of repressed longing for the girlhood I never had have flooded my consciousness. I am a marshland of regret. Another reason is that I take estrogen -- effectively, delayed-release sadness, a little aquamarine pill that more or less guarantees a good weep within six to eight hours.

Like many of my trans friends, I've watched my dysphoria balloon since I began transition. I now feel very strongly about the length of my index fingers -- enough that I will sometimes shyly unthread my hand from my girlfriend's as we walk down the street. When she tells me I'm beautiful, I resent it. I've been outside. I know what beautiful looks like. Don't patronize me.

I was not suicidal before hormones. Now I often am.

Though is it really ethical to absorb school kids with this matter? If living should be lesser struggle, why neglect incels?
by das monde on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 07:35:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
If living should be lesser struggle, why neglect incels?

Why indeed? I strongly support the teaching of theory and practice of masturbation in middle school.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 07:48:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
Peterson is way above a mass of Dunning-Krugers on those guys.
by das monde on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 01:34:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
Please could you avoid bringing up Peterson on a thread like this. I immediately wondered how lobster masturbation works. You really don't want to know.
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 07:48:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
It started with Peterson, and he was around all the time. Standing up is better than sorry wit
by das monde on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 08:30:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
What the fuck are you on about now?
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 10:31:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
Apparently not getting laid is now a demographic.
by generic on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 01:10:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
Identity politics <sigh>

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 02:10:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
As in Japan, so in America and where not:

Why Are Young People Having So Little Sex? -- The Atlantic

by das monde on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 02:41:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
Is the answer in a paint diagram with a virgin and a chad panel?
by generic on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 07:04:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 1)
If you ask me

by das monde on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 08:28:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
Answer in the article
"We'd probably have a lot more sex," one woman noted, "if we didn't get home and turn on the TV and start scrolling through our phones."
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 07:45:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
Mandatory xkcd:
by Bernard (bernard) on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 07:49:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
I'm going to express an opinion on this which will probably be unpopular with just about everyone, because it's just a little bit essentialist (and with das monde, because it implies that female agency is important)

Young people are having less sex because

  1. it's getting harder to pressure young women into having sex when they don't really want to, and
  2. recreational sex is more important (generically, on average, with a dozen footnotes and a civil liability insurance policy) to men than it is to women.


It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 08:10:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
A crude secret is that women are interested (deeply or for recreation) in a small proportion of men, especially in these ("back to normal" evolutionarily) times. #MeToo is great for discouraging the rest.

Other crude secret is that bullshit is a part of this game ;-]

by das monde on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 08:40:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 1)
#MeToo is great for discouraging the rest.

If #metoo is discouraging you, then you're doing it wrong.

But I guess you knew that.

A crude secret is that women are interested (deeply or for recreation) in a small proportion of men

It's not a secret, it's just wrong. A small proportion of women are interested in a small proportion of men. I suspect that in your view, these are the only "interesting" women.

In general, women who are interested in men, are interested in just about any man who is interesting (and can at least fake sincerity).

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 10:19:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
I have limited stake in this discussion, persuasion, sharing experience or advises. I am glad enough that this is being discussed more frequently in various forums. Just in the context of broad trends, my last suggestion could be

Women show sexual preference for tall, dominant men - so is gender inequality inevitable?

by das monde on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 10:43:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
The article's response to its own clickbait headline is an unequivocal no :
Fortunately, we can change our culture.

YMMV, of course.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 04:28:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
That will not be fast. Is the current change in the right direction?
by das monde on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 05:14:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
Well that depends. The past few decades have unequivocally (in the "liberal democracies") brought improved outcomes in terms of human rights for half of the population. That has a concomitant "cost" in terms of privilege for the other half; but it's a cost I'm very willing to pay, because it was mostly privilege to dominate and abuse.

On the other hand, if the direction you favour is based on a return to behavioural archetypes from our zoological origins, then I can certainly understand that it sucks for you.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Thu Nov 29th, 2018 at 03:31:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
Personally I have no problem with not having chakras for special patriarchal-mating-dominating privileges from that half of the population, if I have to assure you. Rather, I am curious enough about elements of general fate of intelligentias.

Unequivocally ... improved outcomes? Check that.

by das monde on Thu Nov 29th, 2018 at 04:37:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
improved outcomes in terms of human rights. The path to happiness is not easy. If I suggest that you preferred a situation where women had fewer rights and were happier, I'm quite sure you'd back away flapping your hands, so I'm confident we're on the same page here.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Thu Nov 29th, 2018 at 04:43:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"women " (none / 0)
Some specificity is in order. Care to rephrase?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Fri Nov 30th, 2018 at 04:34:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "women " (none / 0)
Well. In the specific context of my exchange (or mutual trolling) with Das Monde, I'm trying to be as direct as possible, in order to try to pin him down and make him express his opinions clearly : his technique is to make radically reactionary insinuations, then back away from them. This leads me to sometimes use his frame of reference, for the sake of argument, possibly using inappropriate language (which comes naturally to me anyway, because I'm an old (white) man. Oldthinkers unbellyfeel newspeak. <ironic reference>)

I feel you're taking me to task, but I'm not sure why. Would you care to elaborate? (If you don't mind, I think I'll save the discussion on "race" in "Europe" for another day... month) - you are using race as an analogy for gender?

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Tue Dec 4th, 2018 at 09:05:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Let me help you. (none / 0)
Race is about a hierarchy.
[...]
It's not just white men<, that they [are] awful. Oh, everyone talking about, "Oh, my goodness, this is the year of the woman,and that's 'progressive'. Is Hyde-smith 'progressive'? It's still the year of the woman, ain't it? Is being a woman, does gender, mean 'progressivism'?
[INSERT NAME]
Not from where I sit. Not from what I see. I see a Jefferson-Davis-living, confederate-loving, you know, racist woman. What are you talking about? Gender does not make you anymore non-racist than anything else. We need to assess white people by white families not whether you hava breasts, a vagina, and a set of ovaries. That is not how any of this works. And a uterus: not how any of this works. Stop assessing this. Republicans were able to go on, "She's the first woman [senator] in Mississippi  ...". It don't mean nothing though. Gender in and of itself means nothing. Tell me about the beliefs you hold. And this idea, "women have been discriminated against, and we're going to put more women in [power]. Listen, if you just decide, you're going to put more women in [power], because when have been discriminated against, you know what racist white men are going to do? They'll just use their wives as proxies. Or their sisters as proxy. Or their mamas as proxy. Or their daughters as proxy. So society is going to put more women in [power] like your cure, And you're going to have a whole lot of problems. You better find people with the right politics and the right political agenda. Having a set of ovaries does not infuses us with superiority.
##Stereotype is the mind killer

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 at 12:13:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Let me help you. (none / 0)
Class is a hierarchy: "The need for even an autopract village to adopt the most abject and groveling attitude towards important officials is worth illustrating, in a historical perspective."
To my good master, lover of Christ, lover of the poor, all-esteemed and most magnificent patrician and the duke of the Thebiad, Aprion, from Anoup, your miserable doulos upon your estate called Phacra. [emphasis in original]
"I will add another petition, of 223 B.C., from an even more humble person, a working woman."
To King Ptolemy, greeting from Philistam daughter of Lysias, resident in Tricomia. I am wronged by Petechon. For I was bathing in the baths of the said villiage and had stepped out to soap mysef, he, being the bathmab in the women's rotunda and having brought in the jugs of hot water, emptied one over me and scalded my belly and my left thigh down to the knee, so that my life was in danger ... I beg you, O king, if it please you, as a suppliant who has sought your protection, not to suffer me, a woman who works with her hands, to be lawlessly treated.
[Ste. Croix:223, emphasis added]
## Stereotype is the mind killer.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 at 12:28:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
'Women and minorities" Edition (none / 0)

Canadian index

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Dec 2nd, 2018 at 08:34:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Let me help you. (none / 0)
No decline in discrimination against people of African descent in EU
The report by the FRA examined the experiences of almost 6,000 people of African descent in 12 EU member states, who were surveyed as part of the Second European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey (EU-MIDIS II). The report found that being [!] black in the EU meant facing not only systemic [sic] racism but also discrimination in the labour market, wages, housing and even in hospitals.
systematic: classList(race[black, African, Sub-Saharan], age, sex, gender, religion, income, wealth)
In 2012, a study showed that "women [!] of Sub-Saharan African origin and [&&] those who have a foreign nationality [!] are currently in France five times more likely to die than other women [!], and their deaths are associated with a quality of care termed `non-optimal' in 78% of cases."
[...]
Cécile Kyenge, the only black MEP of the EU's 751 parliamentarians, was determined to bring the issue to the European decision-making sphere. She considered that the report was "good, but not enough" and pointed out that many laws and directives had been in force since 2000 but their implementation left something to be desired.
[...]
In some countries, up to 76% of young people [!] of African descent are neither in paid work nor in education or training, compared to a rate of only 8% for the general [sic] population. In total, 14% of respondents said that private landlords refused to rent them accommodation. Furthermore, only 15% of respondents of African descent owned their dwelling, compared to 70% for the general EU population.
[...]
Also in Italy, a white [!] man [!] opened fire at black bystanders in the name of "Italy for Italians" on 3 February 2018. Five men and a [1, one] woman were injured during his wild drive.
[...]
In the 21st century, there is no excuse for racial discrimination," believed Michael O'Flaherty, director of the FRA, who commissioned the report. "We don't need new laws, we have to apply those that already exist."
SelectAll();

archived
They are not all going back to where they came from. ...
"How will EU member-states prevent or avoid replicating the caste/class system of integration, typified by US custody of American black d.o.s.?"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Dec 3rd, 2018 at 05:24:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
It's also possible that the desperate, pathetic need to have sex as soon as possible (and/or lie about it) to show your masculinity to your social group has faded a bit.

It occurs to me that if I were to give advice to kids about sex - which it turns out I do sort of have to do - it would be "chill out, don't rush, take your time, move slowly, walk before you run" and would probably lead to the sort of figures you're seeing there.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Nov 29th, 2018 at 10:10:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Yeah (none / 0)
I like that list. I'm going to steal that to use at some point.

Though I'll probably add "Be kind" to it.

by Bjinse on Mon Dec 3rd, 2018 at 10:36:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Yeah (none / 0)
Yeah, there's a "safe, consensual, make sure everyone is having fun" bit missing from that list thats more oriented towards when you are doing stuff.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Dec 4th, 2018 at 12:38:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Yeah (none / 1)
If only this applied to politics.
by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Tue Dec 4th, 2018 at 05:15:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
Meanwhile, masculinity in chess is dead. All 12 classical games in the Carlsen-Caruana championship match are drawn. In Game 12 today, Carlsen offered a draw in a better position and with Caruana quite in time trouble.
by das monde on Mon Nov 26th, 2018 at 07:41:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (4.00 / 3)
Maybe because what you equate to masculinity is actually closer to suicide?

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 07:46:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
We will see soon how much esteem seppuku Magnus has just committed.
by das monde on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 01:34:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Living On the Planet (none / 0)
As it happens, the match was decided in a penalty shoot-out. Which is always somewhat frustrating, for sports fans. But justified Carlsen's cautious approach, with respect to the result.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Thu Nov 29th, 2018 at 03:21:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Dying On the Planet (4.00 / 2)
May he rest in peace

Indian authorities have been urged to abandon efforts to recover the body of a young American who was killed while apparently attempting to convert an island tribe to Christianity.
John Chau was killed in a hail of arrows almost two weeks ago as he went ashore on North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean, fishermen who dropped him nearby told police.
The off-limits remote island is the size of Manhattan and part of the Indian Andaman Islands. It is home to the Sentinelese, one of the world's last tribes "uncontacted" by civilisation.

I love this guy :

According to his purported Instagram account, Chau was a wilderness emergency medical technician and an ambassador for a US brand of beef jerky.

... a survivalist?
... an unsuccessful one, at that :

He had attempted to contact the Sentinelese before he died. In documents given to US media he wrote that he had shouted: "My name is John. I love you and Jesus loves you", only to be shot at with arrows, one of them piercing his bible, and he beat a hasty retreat back to the fishermen's boat.
Chau went back to the island the next day, but never returned.


It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 10:23:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Dying On the Planet (none / 1)
Maybe he should have tried the Philippines
Duterte called God "stupid." While referring to the story of Adam and Eve he mocked God for creating something so perfect and then throwing the couple out after eating the forbidden fruit. He additionally railed against the concept of original sin, saying "what kind of religion is that? I can't accept it."
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 10:30:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Dying On the Planet (none / 0)
"See that guy with the bible? He's a drug dealer. It's OK, you can shoot him."

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Wed Nov 28th, 2018 at 08:12:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Dying On the Planet (none / 1)
Ah but wait : he will rise again...

When a boat ran aground on North Sentinel Island in 2006, the two fishermen onboard were killed and buried in the sand. After about a week, according to police records, the tribespeople dug up the pair and hung them from bamboo poles facing the ocean. "It was a kind of scarecrow," said the region's police chief, Dependra Pathak.
The fishermen who took Chau to North Sentinel, some of whom have been detained by police, said they saw the tribe burying his body on the beach.


It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 10:36:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Remote Tribe Living Outside 'Civilization' (none / 1)
"The off-limits remote island is the size of Manhattan and part of the Indian Andaman Islands. It is home to the Sentinelese, one of the world's last tribes 'uncontacted' by civilization."

Indonesian archipel, Aceh and the Christmas 2004 earthquake and deadly tsunami ...

○ 'The silence was deafening': Journalists remember scenes from 2004 tsunami
○ Traditional knowledge helped to save ancient tribes on India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The aboriginal tribes - some of the oldest and most isolated in the world - have oral traditions apparently developed from previous earthquakes that may have allowed them to escape to higher ground before the massive tsunami struck the island chain off Indonesia.

The Onge tribe, for example, have lived on Little Andaman for between 30,000 and 50,000 years and, though they are on the verge of extinction, almost all of the 100 or so people left seem to have survived the 26 December quake and the devastating waves which followed.

Their folklore talks of "huge shaking of ground followed by high wall of water", according to Manish Chandi, an environmental protection worker who has studied the tribes and spoke to some Onges after the disaster.

○ Survival comes first for Sentinel islanders - the world's last 'stone-age' tribe | The Guardian |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 02:44:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"Outside 'Civilization'" (none / 0)
I take a dime view of any appeal by westworld ethnographers (aka anthropologist, sociologists, sociobiologists, evolutionary biologists, &tc) to "civilization".

Their definitions of the term is much to fluid for my taste, much less systematic application of criteria to mores, if any and they there always are mores, of the social "cohesion" they interrogate for weakness and strength.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 10:50:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
ebola marketing UPDATE (none / 0)
Congo's Ebola Outbreak Now 2ND LARGEST in History, WHO Says
WHO's emergencies chief, Dr. Peter Salama, called it a "sad toll" as Congo's health ministry announced the number of cases has reached 426. That includes 379 confirmed cases and 47 probable ones. So far this outbreak, declared on Aug. 1, has 198 confirmed deaths
old math morbidity
["]West Africa["]'s Ebola outbreak killed more than 11,000 people from 2014 to 2016.
shiny: rVSV-ZEBOV + mAb114 + PRv1 + 1 NEW!
More than 37,000 people have received Ebola vaccinations, and Congo has begun the first-ever trial to test the effectiveness and safety of four experimental Ebola drugs.
[...]
While the numbers are far from those from West Africa in 2014, we're witnessing how the dynamics of conflict pose a different kind of threat," said Michelle Gayer, senior director of emergency health at the International Rescue Committee.
'unsafe burial practices'? Or plain ol' mendacity?
The alarmingly high number of infected newborns in this outbreak is another concern, and so far a mystery. In a separate statement on Thursday, WHO said so far 36 Ebola cases have been reported among newborn babies and children under 2.

archived
ebola marketing UPDATE Oct
living lab Aug
living lab May
"It was not possible to collect biological samples from people who received the vaccine in order to analyse their immune response."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Dec 1st, 2018 at 06:35:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]
On This Date (none / 0)
ON THIS DATE
by Bjinse on Tue Nov 20th, 2018 at 10:06:39 PM EST
People & Klatsch (none / 0)
 PEOPLE AND KLATSCH 
by Bjinse on Tue Nov 20th, 2018 at 10:06:42 PM EST
Re: People &amp; Klatsch (none / 0)


Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Tue Nov 27th, 2018 at 11:52:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Hobbes, Hume, Locke, Bentham (none / 0)
more or less
Against the Stream
Quick review of  ... fatal flaws in European intellectual history. Britannia, you broke it; you bought it. < wipes tears >

classic
Re: Great Philosophers

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Dec 3rd, 2018 at 07:28:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
19 - 25 November 2018 | 134 comments (134 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)


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