Top Diaries

Amazing. Spectacular own goal.
Meaningless triple-header question with no options? They are likely to lose this one (and a relative majority is surely a loss). On purpose? Why?

(Stark contrast with the Greek question, which 80% answered correctly... and were immediately betrayed...)

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

by eurogreen on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 06:56:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Come, now. This formulation is a "sweetener." Buy 1, Get 3 FREE!
< sniff >
NATO, EU membership, AND betrayal are on sale.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 01:25:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

latest poll smoking supplied by the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation (MCIC)
[FYROM] on Edge Amid Fears of Manipulation in Looming EU, NATO Membership

Asked, "Are you in favor of EU and NATO membership, by accepting the Agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece," 41.5 percent of respondents said they were in favor, with 35.1 percent saying they were opposed, 12.4 percent saying they would boycott the vote, 9.2 percent saying they have yet to make up their minds, and 1.9 percent declining to answer.

uh oh. Needs moar Pew.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Aug 13th, 2018 at 06:12:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

EU's top court backs copyright holder in landmark ruling

For his part, former Macedonian foreign minister Denko Maleski said that he supports the referendum, having told Sputnik Serbia that the vote was a "good chance" to break a "vicious circle along which we have been moving along for 3000 years, without finding a compromise with Greece."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Aug 13th, 2018 at 06:16:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Art. 11, Art. 13 UPDATE (none / 0)

I must say, this is not a victory for European Justice. This is a victory for redundancy, senseless judgment, and principles of profit maximizing capitalism.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) ruling came after a secondary school student in Germany downloaded a photograph of Cordoba from a travel website to illustrate a presentation which was then published on the school website.
Photographer Dirk Renckhoff then sued the city of Waltrop and North Rhine-Westphalia for copyright infringement and 400€ in damages. A German court then sought guidance from the Luxembourg-based ECJ, which went against a non-binding opinion from its adviser four months ago.

because Dirk is an asshole

"The posting on a website of a photograph that was freely accessible on another website with the consent of the author requires a new authorisation by that author," judges said.
"By posting on the internet, the photograph is made available to a new public [wtf]," they said. Judges said posting a work online was different from hyperlinks [?!]

I cannot UNSEE THAT IMAGE OF CORDOBA, ES!!

which lead users to another website and thus contribute to the smooth functioning of the internet.

OTOH, the ECJ has again successfully asserted its undisputed authority to judge any dispute. Good going!

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 04:13:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

177,060,615 views

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 04:48:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

So the guy shouldn't get paid for his work? I mean, I agree he's being an asshole here, but in principle?

Copyright either has to be enforceable (though damages awarded here should be a bag of sweets or something) or you need another way to pay people for their work.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 04:53:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

< wipes tears >

You answer your own question.

The enforcement of the GDPR, the DCMA, the Cloud Act, desuetude, Droit de Suite, and countless criminal statutes and tort disputes on which the measures of moral rectitude in business rely, finally, on each and everyone's tacit obedience to laws (codified custom) and observance of the judicial opinions of the day.

What is an injury to oneself or others, and What is not socially acceptable conduct?

If you don't know, if at some point, at the um intersection of indecision about what path to take, that socratic line --above and beyond the heternomy of law enforcement that is "us"-- lies autonomy.

Knowing what I know, how shall I act? is the loneliest manifestation of "freedom". Dirk chose asshole, for no reason other than "I can." For no thought to the greater good done by publishing his property without his express "permssion."

Autonomy is not well understood.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 05:42:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

1,528,764 views

:: commercial free

Marvin Gaye - Topic
Published on Nov 7, 2014
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group North America
Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) · Marvin Gaye · David Van Depitte
What's Going On - 40th Anniversary
℗ ℗ 1971 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Released on: 2011-01-01
Conductor, Recording Arranger: David Van Depitte
Producer: Marvin Gaye
Mix Engineer, Recording Engineer: Lawrence Miles
Recording Engineer: Joe Atkinson
Recording Engineer: James Green
Recording Engineer: Art Stewart
Author, Composer: Marvin Gaye
Music Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Auto-generated by YouTube.

::
The more I think about this "decision", the angrier I become. Although I have not read the opinion text, I would bet my daughter, Dirk or his fucking agent selected and agreed to usage rights suitable for non-profit publication --1X or time-limited and not perpetuity --for which he was compensated. Digital surveillance has not changed the discretion of "creators" in licensing original art for any purpose. And I'd bet my daughter's daughter that asshole did not show that the city's use, a pubic school's use, regardless, deprived him of any current or future income in fact which is why the advocate recommended dismissal.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 08:53:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

7,183,036 views
lying to the races

:: commercial free

FUNKNATION
Published on Jan 22, 2011
Category
Music
Music in this video
Learn more
Listen ad-free with YouTube Premium
Song
I'll Take You There
Artist
The Staple Singers
Writers
Alvertis Isbell
[Published February 1972]
Licensed by
UMG (on behalf of Universal Music); UMPI, UBEM, CMRRA, UMPG Publishing, and 3 Music Rights Societies

:: YOU CHOOSE

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 09:29:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (none / 0)

Ryanair pilots in Germany call 24-hour strike, joining Ireland, Belgium and Sweden
That's more goddam like it.

archived solidarity
industrial action UPDATE
Thin gruel
Why do people incorporate? To accomplish a goal that one alone cannot.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 07:06:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe tiny violins (none / 0)

Mr O'Rourke working the press corpse since he got no satisfaction in the courts and the 24-hr strikes went off unrepentant.
Ryanair laments 'unnecessary' strike, as pilots aim to 'strengthen our rights'

Among their demands, which include sick leave and pension schemes, the European unions want the contracts of Ryanair employees to be governed by the laws of the nation where they are based, not by Irish legislation.

archived subsidarity
"Blue Skies" ?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Aug 13th, 2018 at 02:54:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (4.00 / 3)

Britain's way of life is threatened by a culture with strange accents, wearing unusual clothing, who attended special schools and are part of a closed society that doesn't integrate with the rest of us. pic.twitter.com/8xdyxdK0Ib
— Russ 🐝 (@RussInCheshire) 9. August 2018

by generic on Fri Aug 10th, 2018 at 09:38:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Economy & Finance (none / 0)

ECONOMY & FINANCE

by Bjinse on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 11:54:17 AM EST

< wipes tears >

The letter details how China uses its so-called debt-trap diplomacy to nurture dependence and extract strategic concessions from its borrowers.

wait for it

Perdue and his colleagues hope that Washington's outsized role in the IMF, as its largest financial contributor, can persuade it to only to offer loans that won't be used to indirectly pay for Chinese projects.

archived we shall see
The only person in the US Federal government more ignorant and moronically stupid than than the people in that list is Donald Trump.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 08:46:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Economy &amp; Finance (4.00 / 5)

Wow, lending money to relatively poorer countries, and using that debt as a leverage to force a variety of economic and policy concessions? China has really caught on to something here! It's sort of amazing that nobody in Europe or the USA ever thought of this, it would have made that whole imperialism thing so much easier!

by Zwackus on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 12:22:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Economy &amp;amp; Finance (none / 0)

Certainly easier than sending in the troops and typically more successful as well.

by rifek on Fri Aug 10th, 2018 at 12:16:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Economy &amp;amp; Finance (none / 0)

The evil of cultural appropriation at work.

by generic on Fri Aug 10th, 2018 at 11:12:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Happy Vanuatu Day! (none / 0)

American companies cut their ["]investments["] in the Netherlands

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 10:17:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

re: jurisdiction, "virtual" borders in the "cloud"
[US] Judge Advances Cryptocurrency Class Action

The judge also rejected claims the lawsuit seeks to apply U.S. securities laws to conduct that occurred overseas. Although a Swiss foundation oversaw the initial coin offering [ICO], Seeborg found the Breitmans' development of key elements for the project took place in California, and that marketing for the offering almost exclusively targeted U.S. investors.
In rejecting the extraterritorial argument, Seeborg also noted the lead plaintiff initiated his investment transaction on a website hosted on a server in Arizona, and that his contribution of the digital currency Ethereum was "validated by a network of global `nodes' clustered more densely in the United States than in any other country."

archived
US Federal law eats world, taunts "EU-3" dominion
Coinbase reportedly gets approval from U.S. regulators to start listing tokenized securities
Delaware
Always Read the Footnotes

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 06:54:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Rural Ireland not banking on funds to come from the pillar institutions

He applied to his local AIB [!] branch in Nenagh for a loan of €135,000. Circumstances were on his side: He had a perfect credit rating; his business survived the recession'; and the government had made a big play in purporting to support small businesses.
To this end, funding had been earmarked specifically for small business through the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, to be administered by the pillar banks. ...

Largest-ever European Investment Bank support for Irish agri-business

Belfast [!] based agri-technology company Devenish Nutrition has secured €118m in long-term funding to enable its research, development and growth plans.The EIB loan of €40m will enable the company to develop a purpose-built Global Innovation Centre in Dowth, County Meath.
[...]
The investment is backed by other finance partners Ulster Bank and Danske Bank.

I am losing patience with the sob stories ...

archived o'er the cliff edge
redlining

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 09:34:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Updated Blocking Statute in support of Iran nuclear deal

hmm, this an is interesting note considering the value and volume of USA goods entering IE (air)ports, then leaving UK by sea and um intermodal transport.
France to veto post-Brexit sea [?] route skipping French ports

French transport minister, Elisabeth Borne, has officially protested against an EU plan connecting Ireland to Europe via Zeebrugge, Antwerp and Rotterdam after Brexit.

ahem

adding that French ports has the necessary resources to handle the likely increase in trade flows and preventing exports from being delayed by UK custom.

honor, thieves

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Aug 13th, 2018 at 10:24:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Trump (none / 0)

TRUMP

by Bjinse on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 11:54:20 AM EST

Re: Trump (none / 1)

One story, two versions:
EU to Block US Anti-Iran Sanctions Starting August 7 to Defend Business 6 Aug
EU tries to soften impact of US sanctions against Iran as they re-enter into force 7 Aug

That is why the EU has included the restrictive measures in its `blocking statute' which will enter into force at 6 am on Tuesday (7 August). This mechanism bans Europeans - both companies and residents- from complying with US sanctions.

archived
LQD: US Federal Law Eats World, taunts "EU-3" dominion.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 02:09:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 0)

The Iran sanctions have officially been cast. These are the most biting sanctions ever imposed, and in November they ratchet up to yet another level. Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States. I am asking for WORLD PEACE, nothing less!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2018

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 03:39:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 0)

and if I can't get world peace, I'll blow Iran off the face of the earth

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 05:02:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 1)

RTE takes a stab at sovereignty, instead publishes long story titled "EU 'regrets' reintroduction of US sanctions against Iran" about Mr Trump, and fails.

#IranDeal "We updated our Blocking Statute [..] this legislation protects European businesses from the effects of the US sanctions" @FedericaMog https://t.co/x8TpA9r3bu pic.twitter.com/bGCi4YHuK7
— European External Action Service - EEAS 🇪🇺 (@eu_eeas) August 7, 2018

The process of updating the Blocking Statute was launched by the Commission on 6 June 2018, when it added to its scope the extra-territorial sanctions the US is re-imposing on Iran. A two-month scrutiny period for the European Parliament and the Council followed. Since neither objected [BY WHOM?], the update was published and entered into force on 7 August 2018.
The Blocking Statute allows EU operators to recover damages arising from the extra-territorial sanctions within its scope from the persons causing them and nullifies the effect in the EU of any foreign court rulings based on them. It also forbids EU persons from complying with those sanctions, unless exceptionally authorised to do so by the Commission in case non-compliance seriously damages their interests or the interests of the Union.
To help EU operators with the implementation of the updated Blocking Statute the Commission published a Guidance Note to facilitate understanding of the relevant legal acts.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 08:16:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 1)

Wildfires Explode in Size Across California

"California wildfires are being magnified and made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren't allowing massive amount of readily available water to be properly utilized," Trump tweeted on Sunday.

So.
What is the problem? What problem precludes paradise?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 02:56:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (4.00 / 3)

I think the law he talks about is the one of gravity. Keeps all that water in the ocean instead of on the fiery parts.

by generic on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 03:02:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 0)

o, right. My bad.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 03:13:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 1)

Well, you see, if the damn liberals weren't insisting that we divert river water into the ocean so as to raise the sea level to prove global warming, than all the river water would be used to irrigate forests and hillsides, and there would be so much wood that the logging industry would come back, which liberals hate because they hate real Americans.

by Zwackus on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 12:24:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 0)

yea, damn obvious when you think about it

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 02:30:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

WRONG! Wrong, wrong! (none / 0)

We're all wrong.

A flat tire was the problem. It has been extinguished and removed, I suppose.

AND the shifty-eyed "Holy Fire" arsonist of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties has been apprehended for good measure.

NOW, soon, paradise will be restored.
Feds Offer to Put Water on California Wildfires

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 04:26:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 0)

Futile Poll Smoking: Everybody knows black people don't vote and that's why Mr Trump was elected POTUS, right? So results of this so-called referendum of his popularity will be "different," right?

Black voters angry at Donald Trump expected to turn out in key midterm House races, survey found

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 04:34:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 0)

collective punishment for unsolved crime in another country whose law enforcement agency has not, as far as I know, indicted any known or unknown individuals.

ubn warned a few times now.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 05:12:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Avenati, Esq. (none / 1)

working the US press corpse
"I'm exploring a run for the presidency"

"I think the party has yearned for a fighter -- a fighter for good, if you will -- for a significant period of time. And for many, I'm probably seen as that individual."

"I won't bring nail clippers to a gunfight"

"Tonight, with our country under an unprecedented assault by a con man who fights only for himself and degrades the vulnerable and the powerless and regular hardworking people day in and day out, I believe that we must honestly ask ourselves as a party whether those we fight for can afford our gentleness," he said.

"The truth is my policy issue"

"What's happened unfortunately -- especially over the last two years, three years with this president, Donald Trump -- is, we`ve lost track of holding him accountable as it relates to the truth and facts and evidence," Avenatti, who rose to prominence while representing adult-film star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Trump, said on ABC's "This Week."

Meanwhile, the gag machine is working overtime for our feedoms!
Evidence Against Accused Russian NRA Plant Kept ["]Under Wraps["]

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun Aug 12th, 2018 at 02:47:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Rule of law, not men UPDATE (none / 0)

Peter Strzok, the latest canned tomato at FBI, following the venerable J. Comey and A. McCabe. The syndicated headline for Friday's so-called News Dump is lays cause of action at margins of somewhat incriminating "anti-Trump" 50,000 mssgs exchanged by Strzok and Lisa PAGE, Esq. 2016-2017. The disposition of Strzok's pension earnings have not been publicized. So there's that revelation by the press corpse yet to be milked by his (not PAGE's) attys.

WaPoo Ke Frames of "politicized" disciplinary actions
Top FBI official assigned to Mueller's Russia probe said to have been removed after sending anti-Trump texts
unprofessional professional conduct
Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page said to be `cooperative' during Capitol Hill meeting about anti-Trump texts
undisclosed "cooperative" bargaining
FBI agent Peter Strzok fired over anti-Trump texts
no evidence

(excluding Strzok's deposition in a closed hearing by judiciary committee and pertinent findings by the DoJ Office of Inspector General).

For those of you who haven't be following this particularly salacious plot line in de basement of star-chamber intrigues you may prefer a timeline by Ray McGovern.

I look forward to Strzok's announcement he will seek nomination to POTUS 2020.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Aug 13th, 2018 at 05:06:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Rule of law, not men UPDATE (none / 0)

Inquisitors' Founding Regulations of Absolute Power
Trump-Appointed Judge Rules Against Indicted Russian Firm

Concord Management and Consulting's attempts to discredit the investigation were shot down in a 41-page ruling from U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who was appointed by Trump to the District of Columbia bench last year.
[MEMORANDUM OPINION: the "could"] Concord Management and Consulting LLC moves to dismiss the indictment on the ground that Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed unlawfully by Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Dkt. 36. The Court will deny Concord's motion. The Special Counsel's appointment complies with the Constitution's Appointments Clause because (1) the Special Counsel is an "inferior Officer"; and (2) Congress "by Law vest[ed]" the Acting Attorney General with the power to make the appointment. U.S. Const. art. II, § 2, cl. 2.
[...]
Id. The regulations govern the Special Counsel's jurisdiction, powers, and duties. They "seek to strike a balance between independence and accountability in certain sensitive investigations." Id. According to the regulations' preamble, the Special Counsel is "free to structure the investigation as he or she wishes and to exercise independent prosecutorial discretion to decide whether charges should be brought, within the context of the established procedures of the Department." Id. "Nevertheless, it is intended that ultimate responsibility for the matter and how it is handled continue[s] to rest with the Attorney General (or the Acting Attorney General if the Attorney General is personally recused in the matter)." Id. B. Appointment of Special Counsel Rob

DICTION CORNER: limits of Inquistors' Power, or Authority, as an"inferior officer" in the executive branch

First, "should" is generally "precatory, not mandatory."

The imperative mood is tried, strictly, not colloquially speaking, Mr Comey might argue. I don't know, haven't read his book.

Ass'n of Flight Attendants v. Huerta, 785 F.3d 710, 718 (D.C. Cir. 2015); see also Jolly v. Listerman, 672 F.2d 935, 945 (D.C. Cir. 1982) ("The use of the word 'should' . . . detracts significantly from any claim that this guideline is more than merely precatory"); Military Toxics Project v. EPA, 146 F.3d 948, 958 (D.C. Cir. 1998); Judd v. Billington, 863 F.2d 103, 106 (D.C. Cir. 1988). Although the use of "should" instead of "shall" is not "automatically determinative," Doe v. Hampton, 566 F.2d 265, 281 (D.C. Cir. 1977), it is particularly striking here because "shall" is used twice in the very same sub-provision, seven times in the same provision, and throughout the Special Counsel regulations, see 28 C.F.R. §§ 600.3, 600.4, 600.6, 600.7; see also Russello v. United States, 464 U.S. 16, 23 (1983) ("We refrain from concluding here that the differing language in the two subsections has the same meaning in each. We would not presume to ascribe this difference to a simple mistake in draftsmanship."). And the same sub-provision requires that, if the Acting Attorney General concludes that a proposed action should not be pursued," certain actions must follow--in particular, the Acting Attorney General "shall notify Congress." 28 C.F.R. § 600.7(b). Pointedly missing is any requirement that the Special Counsel "shall" comply with the conclusion. See Henson v. Santander Consumer USA Inc., 137 S. Ct. 1718, 1723 (2017) ("[W]e presume differences in language . . . convey differences in meaning.").
Further context does not turn "should" into a mandatory term. The Special Counsel argues that "should" is sufficiently ambiguous that its meaning ought to be ascertained from the "the context of the regulation" and the Attorney General's "intent," such as is embodied in the regulations' background section....

I for one am reminded of arguments offered by Republican caucus conselors differentiating "state" and "State" in the matter of PPACA "fines" and "taxes" before the SCOTUS.

Regardless, even crediting the Special Counsel's argument that "should" can be read as a mandatory "shall," some Special Counsel decisions remain insulated from review or countermand under § 600.7(b)....

WASS

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Aug 13th, 2018 at 07:58:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

World (none / 0)

WORLD

by Bjinse on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 11:54:23 AM EST

Hiding in the "We" (none / 0)

Judge: White Nationalist Can't Hide Identity
Taking names is kinda CHINESE TOTALITARIAN CORPORATIST TYRANNY, wouldn't you say? In spite of the 4th, 5th, and 14th Amd, "due process" and all that wtf.

The woman, who filed her motion to quash under the pseudonym Jane Doe, argued that revealing her identity would chill her First Amendment right of association and right to engage in anonymous political speech.

archived gags
Does a non-disclosure agreement apply to court hearings?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 03:11:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hiding in the "We" (4.00 / 2)

It may just be my ignorance (both general and legal), but I was not aware of a right to ANONYMOUS political speech, or of anonymity anywhere, really.

by Zwackus on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 12:27:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World (none / 0)

o, la-dee-da
Many Cameroonians skeptical as elections approach

In exactly two months, Cameroonians will be going to the polls to elect their president. 28 candidates are in the running, including 86-year-old incumbent Paul Biya, who has been in power for 36 years. He is Africa's second longest serving leader after his neighbor Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea.

Do you ever wonder how Cameroon came to be divided into anglo- and francophone constituencies? Of course you don't! It's an interesting story though, ripe for "post-colonial" mischief today.

But there are doubts inside and outside Cameroon that this election will be free and fair, especially in the Anglophone regions in the west, bordering Nigeria, which have been in turmoil for the past two years, when residents started to press their claims for more autonomy or even independence. According to the United Nations, 200,000 people have been internally displaced and 40,000 have sought refuge in neighboring countries.

archived arms "deals"
EU elections mission DENOUNCES Zimbabwe poll amid new delays
Lutte contre Boko Haram: le satisfecit des Etats-Unis

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 03:26:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World (none / 1)

Do you ever wonder how Cameroon came to be divided into anglo- and francophone constituencies? Of course you don't!

Of course I do: the area initially covering 3 or 4 ancient kingdoms was colonized by the German Empire in the late 19th century under the name Kamerun. Following the German defeat in 1918, the League of Nations handed most of the colony over to France minus the two western provinces assigned to Britain (similarly, Togo was handed over to France, Tanganyika to Britain etc...).

In 1960, when several African colonies, including Cameroun became independent, a referendum was organized in the two British administered provinces: one voted for joining Nigeria and the other to be attached to Cameroon.

by Bernard (bernard) on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 07:30:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World (none / 0)

and ...

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 12:24:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World (none / 0)

NEXT
The anticipated 2018 elections in Madagascar, poisoned chalice

There are protests by members of parliament against the new government announced on 11 June 2018. These protests are taking place in Place du 13 Mai, which is symbolic of the popular student uprising of 1972 against the colonial education system. The protests are coupled with demonstrations by public servants in the ministry of telecommunications and postal services. The protesters are alleging that the new government is not inclusive, as the judgement required. At the moment the matter has been referred, again, to the High Constitutional Court and Conseil d'état. [!] Le Conseil d'état is a government structure, acting as a tribunal that resolves internal differences in government. The antagonists of the current government are both former presidents of Madagascar, and former mayors of the capital Antananarivo. Marc Ravalomanana was president between 2002 and 2009. While Rajoelina was a coup leader and president of the Haute Autorité de la Transition [!], a transitional regime between 2009 and 2013.

archived
Françafrique, CFA, "civilizational challenges", [2013, 2018]
"civilizaitonal progress"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 12:23:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: "ripe for 'post-colonial' mischief" (none / 0)

We are neither Assange nor Puigdemont undsoweiter.
Zimbabwe opposition leader charged after asylum bid fails

The court appearance followed dramatic events in which Mr [Tendai] Biti fled to Zambia, was denied asylum and was handed over to Zimbabwean security forces in defiance of a Zambian court order. Western diplomats, including the US and the UN refugee agency, quickly expressed concern.
[...]
The letter [to Zimbabwean police by Biti's lawyer] says Mr Biti should be immediately returned to Zambian immigration authorities, and "due to the traditional torture that abductees are generally subjected to in Zimbabwe" it called for a medical team to check him before then.
Zambian border guards handed Mr Biti over despite a court order saying he should not be deported until his appeal for asylum was heard, Zambian lawyer Gilbert Phiri said. Zambia's foreign minister said Mr Biti's reasons for seeking asylum "did not have merit".
[...]
The US State Department said the US had "convoked" the ambassadors of Zimbabwe and Zambia "to register our gravest concerns" and would review its cooperation with Zambia's government.

archived
Not that Mugabe, the other one

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 08:28:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: "ripe for 'post-colonial' mischief" (none / 0)

annnd ... Mr Mnangagwa's inauguration is on hold

Chamisa tweeted: "Our legal team successfully filed our court papers. We have a good case and cause!"
[...]
Chamisa, who is the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), claims the election was rigged and that he won 56 percent of the vote, making him president.

Quite a discrepancy!

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Aug 11th, 2018 at 01:35:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World Twitter "police" (none / 1)

VIPS Asks Twitter to Restore Van Buren's Account

We at Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) are greatly disturbed by the recent decision of your management to permanently suspend the Twitter account @WeMeantWell of our colleague Peter Van Buren. Peter is a highly respected former Foreign Service Officer possessing impeccable credentials for critiquing current developments that might lead to a new war in Eastern Europe or Asia, something which we Americans presumably all would like to avoid.
In 2011 our colleague Peter published a book, We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People, about the poor [?] decision- making by both civilians and military

There still lingers a belief that government "policy" purposes, or intention, are good, yet their executions therefore are bad, or incompetent. Why? If indeed conclusion follow from premises, the evidence, which "decisions," or errors, are rewarded and which punished, is all around us.

that led to the disastrous occupation and faux-democracy development in Iraq. It is Peter's concern that our country may well be proceeding down that same path again -- possibly with Iran, Syria and other countries in the Middle East region. ...

archived
Who are you accusing of having good intentions?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 01:29:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World (none / 0)

US Senate Intel Committee Urges Assange to Testify in Russia Probe - WikiLeaks, illustrated

archived cesspool
So, yeah: Assange's fear ... is reasonable.
habeas corpus REVIVAL
LQD: Censorship
Free Speech

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 07:48:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World (none / 0)

motherfuckers

Democratic Senators who demanded today that @JulianAssange's asylum be revoked in violation of international law. Remember them. pic.twitter.com/L63Hy9L1wo
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) June 28, 2018

There. I.said. it.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 07:50:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World (none / 0)

they're all over meanigless BS stuff, but standing up to Trump is usually something above their pay grade

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 08:32:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

standing up to (none / 0)

the US Constitution, such as it is, which they swore to defend when they put their fat asses in a senate office.

But I take your point.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 08:59:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World (none / 0)

Upside Down World
This Week: El Salvador, Honduras, Canada

(USD 72.99)

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 08:09:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

public property (none / 0)

Argentine Senate Rejects Legalizing Elective Abortion

Lawmakers debated for more than 15 hours and voted 38-31 against the measure that would have legalized abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. The decision could echo across Latin America, where anti-abortion forces remains strong even if the Roman Catholic Church has lost influence and moral authority due to secularization, an out-of-touch clerical caste and an avalanche of sex abuse scandals.

archived
passed by the lower house Chamber of Deputies in June
It's not all particular bonds.
Many battles won but the war continues...

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 04:53:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

fire ball, cease fire, rocket fire, fire (none / 0)

One story, two versions

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 05:04:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World (none / 1)

Seattle Airport Security Failure ...

Halfway down the runway on Alaska airlines out of Seattle and the pilot slams on the brakes and shares we must go back to the gate. Quite a scary experience. Not entirely sure what's happening. Someone sneak on board?
— Ben Schaechter (@Bensign) August 11, 2018

Okay this insane. A pilot on the plane in front of us just went rogue and took off on an empty plane bypassing orders from the tower. The tower ordered a full stop and they're trying to communicate with that pilot. Whaaaaaat!
— Ben Schaechter (@Bensign) August 11, 2018

Some dude stole a plane from #Seatac (Allegedly), did a loop-the-loop, ALMOST crashed into #ChambersBay, then crossed in front of our party, chased by fighter jets and subsequently crashed. Weird times. pic.twitter.com/Ra4LcIhwfU
— bmbdgty (@drbmbdgty) August 11, 2018
Update
Reports of the unauthorized/stolen plane has crash near Ketron island south of Seattle Sea-Tac Airport. Pierce County Sheriffs' Cessna 206 doing orbits over the island. Reports indicate it's a Horizon Dash 8 Q400 stolen by an employee.
Suicidal Mechanic Steals Plane In Seattle, Crashes | The Australian |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sat Aug 11th, 2018 at 06:22:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World (none / 1)

Un avión robado sin pasajeros se estrella cerca de Seattle

Las autoridades locales han asegurado que el incidente no tiene ninguna conexión con el terrorismo y han señalado que el autor es un "suicida" que viajaba solo.

archived
Mystery Flight MH370 Remains. Any Thoughts?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Aug 11th, 2018 at 12:50:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World (none / 0)

What's news in the Koreas?
(despite anglophone press reporting on um comingled human remains in boxes, unverified nuclear facility decommission, effects of economic sanctions compliance, foreign military occupation, and rejected terms of peace)

South and North Korea agree to hold third inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang within Sept.

irony
text of Panmunjeom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula

archived
South Korean exports expected to take big hit as a result of tariff increases
S. Korea "annexes" DPRK as agreed by referendum of N. Korean constituents

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Aug 13th, 2018 at 12:09:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Living Off the Planet (none / 0)

LIVING OFF THE PLANET
Environment, Energy, Agriculture, Food

by Bjinse on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 11:55:08 AM EST

This is the summer scientists started openly admitting climate change will probably wipe out humanity within the century and it still hasn't changed shit https://t.co/zzm5v4eoFc
— Christopher M (@mammothfactory) 7. August 2018

by generic on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 02:44:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

No, that's not what they said, but hyperbolic bollocks is much more interesting than that isn't it?

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 03:09:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Well it is Twitter after all. And for that it isn't too far off the mark.
Scientists instead of one, and "probably kill us all within a hundred years" from "existential problem".

by generic on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 07:26:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

A giant floating trash collector will try to scoop up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Also the Tweet didn't link to the article I thought it did:
Did Climate Change Happen Once Before In Earth's History? - The Atlantic

Most worryingly, the climate models that we depend on as a species to predict our future have largely failed to predict our sultry ancient past. And though the gulf is narrowing, and models are catching up, even those that come close to reproducing the hothouse of the early Eocene require injecting 16 times the modern level of CO2 into the air to achieve it--far beyond the rather meager doubling or tripling of CO2 indicated by the rock record.

And that is a cheery thought.

by generic on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 09:31:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Well... (4.00 / 3)

Pehaps you were being ironic, but don't cheer just yet: this sword is double-edged. The gap between climate models and the results found in studies of paleoclimates in the (distant) geologic past is one of the key dichotomies in paleoclimate science. Climate scientists shuffle their feet a lot when it comes to the error range of the CO2 concentration levels found when reconstructing geologic paleoclimates, particularly once you move beyond ice-records. This error range forms the key problem for solving the dichotomy: the foundation of correlating (and attributing) paleoclimate temperatures to past CO2 concentrations remains shaky.

While it's true the gap has been narrowing - something is still very wrong, it's just not clear what is. One option is that modern CO2 sensitivity estimates are far too low, which would be horribly bad news, or alternatively, proxies used to reveal paleaoclimate conditions render unreliable results - which would be horribly inconvenient for the hundreds of studies that already have been done. Or, as the article mentions, there's a factor in play not fully realised, such as the role of methane. Which makes the message of the PNAS article the more relevant.

Full disclosure time: I provide PR for a climate change research collaboration that pursues, amongst others, the development of climate proxies that provide greater accuracy of CO2 in the geologic past. Also, the first author of the research publication reported on by The Atlantic was a fellow student when we were still playing in the sandbox at university (though he might only remember me with some effort).

by Bjinse on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 10:30:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well... (none / 0)

Could the rate at which the change is occurring this time be a confounding problem?

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 01:39:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well... (none / 1)

While there are estimates and calculations, we don't really know as the rate of change observed today has not been observed back in the geologic record due to scaling issues. From the top of my head, the most precise results from ocean sediment cores gives us data at the millennial scale.

by Bjinse on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 07:39:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well... (4.00 / 2)

If they focused exclusively on CO2 ( = 1) effects on global climate while ignoring the effects of methane (x10) and nitrous oxide or N2O (x 300) then the "unreliable results" become inevitable.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 04:04:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Quite (none / 1)

The ignoring is not deliberate, the science toolbox is empty. People are actively looking for a reliable paleo-methane proxy, but it's only at the very beginning. I don't know if or what's happening on N2O. There's a reason why geosciences is constantly compared to six blind men touching an elephant...

by Bjinse on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 07:58:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Quite (none / 0)

Well the good news is that we're planning this lovely big experiment to work out the parameters. The bad news ...

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 10:02:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Quite (none / 0)

Given, for instance, how bad the wildfire & drought problems have become in recent years and given the powerful positive feedback loops seemingly in operation it would seem that the appropriate thing for climate scientists to agree is that the only sane approach is an all out mitigation of all the known factors in the hope that the end result will be a planet that is salvageable. And they need to state that we don't know how bad things will get or how quickly.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 11:47:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well... (none / 0)

There is the circumference of earth.

Currently there are a finite number of instruments placed on land and in particular seas to measure their heat, volume of specified gases, and their rates of change in a specified period. Satellites launched by government and commercial enterprises, too, periodical transmit images to document latent topographical changes in a specified period.

This latent data is generally understood to convey predictive knowledge of climatology, while life on earth stews in filth.

Factor analysis is not well understood.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 12:16:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well... (none / 0)

It was the cheery thought that led me to link to the "we are all going to die" tweet.

by generic on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 04:14:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well... (4.00 / 4)

This may be true, but generally it's a bad idea to experiment on your own biosphere in the hope that you'll be able to build an accurate model of it in a century or two.

The models may not be perfect, but continuing to pump CO2 into the atmosphere is still fucking suicidal. In policy terms, uncertainty about the exact point when suicide becomes inevitable is a side issue.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 10:39:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well... (4.00 / 2)

Same structure as currently existing Brexit: all the experts think it's a bad experiment to carry out, because even if the effects are unpredictable there's bugger all chance they're not going to be horribly bad.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 11:54:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well... (none / 1)

I've never been a fan of misplaced precision.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 at 12:02:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well... (none / 0)

Even an accurate model is not a predictive model due to all those damn Lorenz Butterflies flapping their wings in India preventing or causing hurricanes in Texas.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Thu Aug 9th, 2018 at 04:29:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Living Off the Planet (none / 1)

There was nothing new in that report.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 03:09:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Living Off the Planet (none / 1)

The project is the expensive, untried brainchild of a 23-year-old Dutch college dropout named Boyan Slat, who was so disgusted by the plastic waste he encountered diving off Greece [!] as a teen that he has devoted his life to cleaning up the mess.
[...]
Periodically a garbage ship will be sent out to scoop up the collected trash and transport it to shore, where it will be recycled.

Short on not-detail: I'll assume that plant is not located in either USA or CHINA but will be somewhere on the west cost of AFRICA. Maybe Bal'more, MD. What a trip.

I had an open question about Fukishima spent rods (Where will they go?) that I abandoned once I found photos of the Fukishima dirt depository. Because I never got an answer from the CA Cohort of Petty Landlords. Also ...

## Mental disorder is a communicable disease.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 04:25:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Power restored to nearly all of Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) on Monday announced that power has been restored to most of the island's residents, eleven months after Hurricane Maria devastated the power grid.

BREAKING: Another large power outage in Puerto Rico; there's been a failure of the 50200 line running from Costa Sur to Manatí; customers in parts of Bayamón, San Juan & some municipalities in the central part of the island are affected.
Helicopters being used to find the problem
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 7, 2018

archived biblical disaster
east AFRICA: "the region's poor disaster preparedness"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 09:06:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Tourists desperately try to flee Indonesia following earthquake
What Caused Massive Magnitude-7 Indonesian Earthquake?

"In this area, there's subduction, so the Australian plate is moving under the Sunda plate, and the Australian plate is moving to the north underneath the Sunda plate," Paul Caruso, a USGS geophysicist, told Live Science.

Negligence of authorities to be probed ...

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Aug 7th, 2018 at 09:21:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]