Donald Trump is the scourge of the West. He is likely to become its downfall. — © Mark Alexander
Friday, November 22, 2024
Thom Hartmann: Scary Truth — Republicans Can Actually Tear Down the Federal Government
Donald Trump is the scourge of the West. He is likely to become its downfall. — © Mark Alexander
Merkel: I Mistook Trump for ‘Someone Completely Normal’
THE GUARDIAN: Memoir of former German chancellor recalls US president’s soft spot for tyrants and apparent fascination with Putin
A screenshot from this article in today’s Guardian: Angela Merkel: ‘Politicians with autocratic and dictatorial traits had him in their thrall.| ’Photograph: Hendrik Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images
Angela Merkel’s first mistake with Donald Trump, she says in her keenly awaited new memoir, was treating him as if he were “completely normal”, but she quickly learned of his “emotional” nature and soft spot for authoritarians and tyrants.
In extracts from her more than 700-page tome, Freedom, published in the German weekly Die Zeit, the former German chancellor says she initially misread Trump during their first meeting in 2017 in the Oval Office, where he attempted to humiliate her by refusing to shake her hand before the cameras.
“Instead of stoically bearing it, I whispered to him that we should shake hands again,” she writes. “As soon as the words left my mouth, I shook my head at myself. How could I forget that Trump knew precisely what he was doing … He wanted to give people something to talk about with his behaviour, while I had acted as though I were having a conversation with someone completely normal.” » | Deborah Cole | Thursday, November 21, 2024
Angela Merkel’s first mistake with Donald Trump, she says in her keenly awaited new memoir, was treating him as if he were “completely normal”, but she quickly learned of his “emotional” nature and soft spot for authoritarians and tyrants.
In extracts from her more than 700-page tome, Freedom, published in the German weekly Die Zeit, the former German chancellor says she initially misread Trump during their first meeting in 2017 in the Oval Office, where he attempted to humiliate her by refusing to shake her hand before the cameras.
“Instead of stoically bearing it, I whispered to him that we should shake hands again,” she writes. “As soon as the words left my mouth, I shook my head at myself. How could I forget that Trump knew precisely what he was doing … He wanted to give people something to talk about with his behaviour, while I had acted as though I were having a conversation with someone completely normal.” » | Deborah Cole | Thursday, November 21, 2024
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Ken Hom's Pork Fillet | Ken Hom's Recipe
Please click here for the recipe, then click on ‘more’.
John Prescott - ‘Titan’ of the Labour Party Dies Aged 86
Trump Kicks Down the Guardrails
Nov 19, 2024 | I’ve been watching since the election to see what timeline we’re in. And Donald Trump’s first wave of selections for appointees were pretty straightforward. But then came the turn: Pete Hegseth, a former “Fox & Friends” host, to helm the Pentagon; Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence; and the real gut-punch, the former representative Matt Gaetz for attorney general.
In the parts of government that can be weaponized most dangerously — the military, the intelligence services, the Department of Justice — Trump is putting true lackeys and loyalists in charge. I fear we’ve entered the bad timeline.
In the parts of government that can be weaponized most dangerously — the military, the intelligence services, the Department of Justice — Trump is putting true lackeys and loyalists in charge. I fear we’ve entered the bad timeline.
Edward Snowden : L'avenir de la démocratie en débat - Birgitta Jonsdottir - Documentaire - AT
Nov 19, 2024 | Le temps d'une rencontre clandestine, Edward Snowden, Lawrence Lessig et Birgitta Jónsdóttir, figures de la lutte pour les libertés, s'interrogent sur l'avenir de la démocratie.
Députée islandaise depuis 2009, Birgitta Jónsdóttir se mobilise pour redonner le pouvoir au peuple. Professeur de droit à Harvard et pionnier de l'Internet libre, l'Américain Lawrence "Larry" Lessig dénonce sans relâche l'influence délétère de l'argent sur la politique et la collusion des élites, qui mine l'intérêt général. Quant à son compatriote Edward Snowden, ancien collaborateur de la CIA et de la NSA, il a révélé la surveillance généralisée de la population et des alliés des États-Unis, et vit désormais en Russie, où il a obtenu un asile politique d'autant plus précaire que les relations entre les deux pays apparaissent aujourd'hui illisibles. Tandis que, depuis Moscou, Vladimir Poutine règne en maître sur la scène internationale, son homologue américain Donald Trump, pur produit de la société du spectacle, s'installe aux commandes de la première puissance nucléaire avec autoritarisme… Cette nouvelle page de l'histoire signera-t-elle la fin de la démocratie ?
Conversation secrète
Figures de proue d'un mouvement mondial de défense des libertés, ces trois compagnons de lutte, qui s'estiment et s'entraident à distance sur Internet, se sont rencontrés pour la première fois en secret à Moscou, à la veille de Noël. Ils ont autorisé les caméras de Flore Vasseur à capter cette conversation hors norme, au fil de laquelle émergent des questionnements essentiels : comment sauver la démocratie ? Qu'est-ce que l'échec ? Qui écrit l'histoire ?
Meeting Snowden
Réalisatrice : Flore Vasseur
Producteurs : ZADIG PRODUCTIONS, ARTE GEIE
Droits réservés ARTE
Députée islandaise depuis 2009, Birgitta Jónsdóttir se mobilise pour redonner le pouvoir au peuple. Professeur de droit à Harvard et pionnier de l'Internet libre, l'Américain Lawrence "Larry" Lessig dénonce sans relâche l'influence délétère de l'argent sur la politique et la collusion des élites, qui mine l'intérêt général. Quant à son compatriote Edward Snowden, ancien collaborateur de la CIA et de la NSA, il a révélé la surveillance généralisée de la population et des alliés des États-Unis, et vit désormais en Russie, où il a obtenu un asile politique d'autant plus précaire que les relations entre les deux pays apparaissent aujourd'hui illisibles. Tandis que, depuis Moscou, Vladimir Poutine règne en maître sur la scène internationale, son homologue américain Donald Trump, pur produit de la société du spectacle, s'installe aux commandes de la première puissance nucléaire avec autoritarisme… Cette nouvelle page de l'histoire signera-t-elle la fin de la démocratie ?
Conversation secrète
Figures de proue d'un mouvement mondial de défense des libertés, ces trois compagnons de lutte, qui s'estiment et s'entraident à distance sur Internet, se sont rencontrés pour la première fois en secret à Moscou, à la veille de Noël. Ils ont autorisé les caméras de Flore Vasseur à capter cette conversation hors norme, au fil de laquelle émergent des questionnements essentiels : comment sauver la démocratie ? Qu'est-ce que l'échec ? Qui écrit l'histoire ?
Meeting Snowden
Réalisatrice : Flore Vasseur
Producteurs : ZADIG PRODUCTIONS, ARTE GEIE
Droits réservés ARTE
Arrest Warrants Issued for Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas Commander over Alleged War Crimes | BBC News
Nov 21, 2024 | Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have issued arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and former defence minister, as well as Hamas's military commander.
A statement said a pre-trial chamber had rejected Israel’s challenges to the court’s jurisdiction and issued warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant.
A warrant was also issued for Mohammed Deif, although the Israeli military has said he was killed in an air strike in Gaza in July.
The judges said there were “reasonable grounds” the three men bore "criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war between Israel and Hamas. Both Israel and Hamas have rejected the allegations.
It will now be up to the ICC's 124 member states - who do not include Israel or its ally, the United States - to decide whether or not to enforce the warrants.
A statement said a pre-trial chamber had rejected Israel’s challenges to the court’s jurisdiction and issued warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant.
A warrant was also issued for Mohammed Deif, although the Israeli military has said he was killed in an air strike in Gaza in July.
The judges said there were “reasonable grounds” the three men bore "criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war between Israel and Hamas. Both Israel and Hamas have rejected the allegations.
It will now be up to the ICC's 124 member states - who do not include Israel or its ally, the United States - to decide whether or not to enforce the warrants.
The Guardian View on Donald Trump’s Plutocrats: Money for Something
THE GUARDIAN — EDITORIAL: The Republicans were always the party of big business, but Mr Trump is turning them into a playpen for oligarchs
One person turns up surprisingly often at Donald Trump’s side. Not his No 2, JD Vance, nor his wife, Melania, but another man a quarter-century younger and about $300bn heavier: Elon Musk. The two hunkered down in Mar-a-Lago on the night of the election, celebrating the results. This week they were in Texas, watching Mr Musk’s staff test-launch a spacecraft. During the campaign, Mr Musk personally chipped in $130m, made speeches at rallies and organised campaigns to “get out the vote”. Last week, the world’s richest man was picked by the president-elect to run a new “department of government efficiency”. So close are the pair that Mr Musk dubs himself “First Buddy”.
American politics has always been coiled around money, tight as a vine around a trunk. Nearly 25 years ago, George W Bush joked at a swanky white-tie dinner: “Some people call you the elites; I call you my base.” Nor is it confined to the right wing. Of the two main candidates in this month’s election, more billionaires backed Kamala Harris. One result is a highly warped politics that works against the very people it urges to go out and vote. » | Editorial | Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Democracy is DYING before our very eyes; in fact, one could argue that it is already DEAD. But plutocracy LIVES; in fact, it is THRIVING. — © Mark Alexander
One person turns up surprisingly often at Donald Trump’s side. Not his No 2, JD Vance, nor his wife, Melania, but another man a quarter-century younger and about $300bn heavier: Elon Musk. The two hunkered down in Mar-a-Lago on the night of the election, celebrating the results. This week they were in Texas, watching Mr Musk’s staff test-launch a spacecraft. During the campaign, Mr Musk personally chipped in $130m, made speeches at rallies and organised campaigns to “get out the vote”. Last week, the world’s richest man was picked by the president-elect to run a new “department of government efficiency”. So close are the pair that Mr Musk dubs himself “First Buddy”.
American politics has always been coiled around money, tight as a vine around a trunk. Nearly 25 years ago, George W Bush joked at a swanky white-tie dinner: “Some people call you the elites; I call you my base.” Nor is it confined to the right wing. Of the two main candidates in this month’s election, more billionaires backed Kamala Harris. One result is a highly warped politics that works against the very people it urges to go out and vote. » | Editorial | Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Democracy is DYING before our very eyes; in fact, one could argue that it is already DEAD. But plutocracy LIVES; in fact, it is THRIVING. — © Mark Alexander
Mystischer Islam lockt Aussteiger nach Spanien | ARTE Re:
Apr 2, 2024 | Die Suche nach spirituellem Sinn und alternativen Lebensformen treibt viele Menschen in Europa um. Einige finden Antworten im Sufismus, einer mystischen Ausrichtung des Islam. In Süd-Spanien zieht eine wachsende Sufi-Community zahlreiche vom Christentum zum Islam Konvertierte an. Auch der Deutsch-Pole Hamza wandert dorthin aus.
Orgiva, ein kleiner Ort in Südspanien und letzte Bastion der muslimischen Mauren im 15. Jahrhundert, erlebt in jüngster Zeit eine islamische Renaissance. Aus ganz Europa pilgern Menschen, die vom Christentum zum Islam konvertiert sind, hierher, um eine spirituelle Form des Islams, den Sufismus, zu leben.
Auch Deutsch-Pole Artur Ruik, der sich seit seiner Konvertierung Hamza nennt, wagt den großen Schritt: Gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Asma und Tochter Schukriya wird er in Wien alles aufgeben, um in Orgiva neu anzufangen. Die Familie hofft auf ein spirituelles Leben mit Gleichgesinnten, die hier einen moderaten spirituellen Islam leben.
Aber die islamische Community, die 10% der Bevölkerung von Orgiva ausmacht, ist uneins: Der 52-jährige Ex-Berliner Christian, der sich seit seiner Konvertierung Yousuf nennt, wirft der Sufi-Community vor, dass sie zu einer Folkloregruppe verkommen ist. Er ist davon überzeugt, dass nur durch das Studium des Korans der Islam richtig gelebt werden kann und versucht, seine Sicht der islamischen Lehre in Orgiva zu verbreiten.
Auch die Videobloggerin Paloma Riuz Almodóvar, direkte Nachfahrin der letzten maurischen Herrscher von Granada, ist davon überzeugt, dass man in den Schriften des Korans die richtige Antwort auf alle Lebensfragen, auch in der heutigen modernen Welt findet. Für sie stellt unter anderem Feminismus und Islam kein Widerspruch dar. Nachdem ihr maurischer Ahne im 15. Jahrhundert zum Christentum übergetreten ist, ist sie die Erste in ihrer Familie, die wieder zum Islam konvertierte. Seitdem engagiert sie sich als Influencerin für die islamische Community in Südspanien.
Reportage (D 2023, 31 Min)
Video verfügbar bis zum 15/03/2025
Le même documentaire est disponible en français. Cliquez ici pour le visionner. – Mark
Orgiva, ein kleiner Ort in Südspanien und letzte Bastion der muslimischen Mauren im 15. Jahrhundert, erlebt in jüngster Zeit eine islamische Renaissance. Aus ganz Europa pilgern Menschen, die vom Christentum zum Islam konvertiert sind, hierher, um eine spirituelle Form des Islams, den Sufismus, zu leben.
Auch Deutsch-Pole Artur Ruik, der sich seit seiner Konvertierung Hamza nennt, wagt den großen Schritt: Gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Asma und Tochter Schukriya wird er in Wien alles aufgeben, um in Orgiva neu anzufangen. Die Familie hofft auf ein spirituelles Leben mit Gleichgesinnten, die hier einen moderaten spirituellen Islam leben.
Aber die islamische Community, die 10% der Bevölkerung von Orgiva ausmacht, ist uneins: Der 52-jährige Ex-Berliner Christian, der sich seit seiner Konvertierung Yousuf nennt, wirft der Sufi-Community vor, dass sie zu einer Folkloregruppe verkommen ist. Er ist davon überzeugt, dass nur durch das Studium des Korans der Islam richtig gelebt werden kann und versucht, seine Sicht der islamischen Lehre in Orgiva zu verbreiten.
Auch die Videobloggerin Paloma Riuz Almodóvar, direkte Nachfahrin der letzten maurischen Herrscher von Granada, ist davon überzeugt, dass man in den Schriften des Korans die richtige Antwort auf alle Lebensfragen, auch in der heutigen modernen Welt findet. Für sie stellt unter anderem Feminismus und Islam kein Widerspruch dar. Nachdem ihr maurischer Ahne im 15. Jahrhundert zum Christentum übergetreten ist, ist sie die Erste in ihrer Familie, die wieder zum Islam konvertierte. Seitdem engagiert sie sich als Influencerin für die islamische Community in Südspanien.
Reportage (D 2023, 31 Min)
Video verfügbar bis zum 15/03/2025
Le même documentaire est disponible en français. Cliquez ici pour le visionner. – Mark
What's behind the US Indictment of Indian Billionaire Gautam Adani? | DW News
Italy Blocks Meloni's Migrant Plan; Musk Calls It "Unacceptable" | Firstpost America
Nov 14, 2024 | Italy Blocks Meloni's Migrant Plan; Musk Calls It "Unacceptable" | Firstpost America
With the US election over, Elon Musk has turned his attention to Italy, jumping into its contentious immigration debate. This week, Musk criticised an Italian court's decision to block Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's plan to detain migrants in Albania while processing their asylum requests. The court ruled that seven migrants detained in Albania must return to Italy, citing potential conflicts with European Union law. Musk, calling the decision "unacceptable," questioned whether Italy’s democracy is truly led by the people or an "unelected autocracy." Italy's President Sergio Mattarella responded sharply, warning Musk to respect Italy's sovereignty, while Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini welcomed Musk’s support for Meloni's stance.
With the US election over, Elon Musk has turned his attention to Italy, jumping into its contentious immigration debate. This week, Musk criticised an Italian court's decision to block Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's plan to detain migrants in Albania while processing their asylum requests. The court ruled that seven migrants detained in Albania must return to Italy, citing potential conflicts with European Union law. Musk, calling the decision "unacceptable," questioned whether Italy’s democracy is truly led by the people or an "unelected autocracy." Italy's President Sergio Mattarella responded sharply, warning Musk to respect Italy's sovereignty, while Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini welcomed Musk’s support for Meloni's stance.
Professor Snyder: Trump’s Picks Suggest Attempt to Make Government ‘Dysfunctional’
Thom Hartmann: “Why Trump's Energy Secretary Is the Most Terrifying Trump Cabinet Pick Yet”
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
The Property Empires that Make Charles and William Millions
How splendid it is to be able to live as a serf in this kingdom! Who wouldn’t be cock-a-hoop at being given the privilege? – © Mark Alexander
Thom Hartmann: Trump's Second Term: How to Resist Fascism like Our Lives Depend on It! (Because They Do)
Nov 20. 2024 | Donald Trump's fascist agenda for his second presidential term has to be stopped. We know how the poisonous hate that animates fascism seeps into a society because we saw it ourselves during the first 4 years of the Trump administration and throughout the past year’s campaign.
We’re watching it in Red states across the country as MAGA Republicans replace honorable Republicans like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.
We know how easily a government can be toppled and how close we came on January 6, 2021: if just five Republicans had not refused to go along with Trump we would have been thrown into this fascist dystopia four years earlier.
We can’t pretend we don’t know what’s happening and where it will lead if it’s not stopped. And now that we do know, we can’t escape the moral obligation to resist with everything we have.
We’re watching it in Red states across the country as MAGA Republicans replace honorable Republicans like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.
We know how easily a government can be toppled and how close we came on January 6, 2021: if just five Republicans had not refused to go along with Trump we would have been thrown into this fascist dystopia four years earlier.
We can’t pretend we don’t know what’s happening and where it will lead if it’s not stopped. And now that we do know, we can’t escape the moral obligation to resist with everything we have.
Nancy Mace and Markwayne Mullin Are the Definition of Hypocrisy | The Warning with Steve Schmidt
America has turned into a SICK JOKE! FA! FT! – © Mark Alexander
More Snow Forecast for Weekend after UK’s ‘First Taste of Winter’
THE GUARDIAN: Met Office warnings in place until Sunday as schools are closed and travel disrupted in Scotland
More snow has been forecast for the weekend after an Arctic blast brought the “first taste of winter for many” and the Met Office issued new weather warnings.
A yellow weather warning for frequent snow showers and possible hail is in place in many parts of north and west Scotland until midday on Thursday.
Between 2cm and 5cm (up to 2in) of snow is expected in many areas and it could reach 10cm in some parts of the north-west mainland, and 15-20cm (up to 7.9in) on higher ground, the Met Office said.
A yellow warning for ice has been posted from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning in most of Scotland, the East and West Midlands, east, north-east and north-west England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Yorkshire. » | Geneva Abdul and agency | Wednesday, November 20, 2024
More snow has been forecast for the weekend after an Arctic blast brought the “first taste of winter for many” and the Met Office issued new weather warnings.
A yellow weather warning for frequent snow showers and possible hail is in place in many parts of north and west Scotland until midday on Thursday.
Between 2cm and 5cm (up to 2in) of snow is expected in many areas and it could reach 10cm in some parts of the north-west mainland, and 15-20cm (up to 7.9in) on higher ground, the Met Office said.
A yellow warning for ice has been posted from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning in most of Scotland, the East and West Midlands, east, north-east and north-west England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Yorkshire. » | Geneva Abdul and agency | Wednesday, November 20, 2024
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